One Big Aperture Family
by Luna Peachie
Summary: The Sequel to "Reconstructing Humanity". Wheatley feels he's finally gotten used to humanity and now shares a peaceful existence with his growing family. This peace is shattered with the sudden arrival of "Grandma" and her companions, who are in no hurry to leave. Wheatley realizes he still has a lot to learn, and now must keep his family together in the face of a new threat.
1. The Reunion

_One Big Aperture Family_

The Reunion

Boredom...

It was unknown how long the Old Woman and her two companions had been sitting at the old bus stop outside of the city. The old highway hadn't been used in years and weeds grew around the old bus stop. The summer sun beat down on them, though they looked relatively comfortable where they sat. Their bus stop faced the wheat field, which seemed to be pretty abundant despite the wheat being wild. She sat there, almost motionless, as her two companions looked around anxiously.

If any vehicle had passed by (unlikely), they probably would have noticed the Old Woman and her companions had been sitting patiently at the bus stop for about a day and a half. Where they came from wasn't known, along with how they got to the bus stop and why they were waiting in the first place. The Old Woman stood and looked at the sun over the wheat field. She determined, quite accurately, that it was early afternoon and the bus (if it indeed existed) was running late.

The Old Lady held herself regally with her purse close by. She wore all white, except for the yellow ribbon on her hat. Her white hair was neatly tied in a low bun, being shielded by the brim of the hat. Her white cardigan was draped smoothly over her shoulders, only moving with the soft summer wind. Her sunglasses were the only thing about her outfit that wasn't white.

Her two companions, a young man and a young woman, seemed to be color oriented as well. The young man wore a blue shirt and black pants with his blue hair in a short, messy cut. The young woman wore an orange sleeveless jumper dress that went just above her knees. She looked like she was wearing orange rain boots with her black tights. Her orange hair was fitted into two low, stringy pigtails. These two didn't wear sunglasses and their eyes (blue for the young man and orange for the young woman) shimmered in the afternoon sun.

Though the day was hot, as the middle of summer tended to be, the small group didn't look uncomfortable in their attire or sitting on the broken bench waiting for a bus that would never come. The deserted two lane highway looked like it went on forever. It probably did, only turning off every so often. The wheat in the field adjacent to the bus stop seemed to be timed with the ticking of the Old Woman's watch as it flowed back and forth with each tick. The Old Woman, though having sat there for almost a day and a half, was starting to lose her patience.

"Well, my dears…" she murmured for the first time in hours. "…it would seem the bus is late." She said in a somewhat mechanical way. Her companions looked up from what they were doing (the girl was sitting on her knees looking through the foggy, broken glass while the boy was examining the ancient gum under the bench) and nodded in an equally mechanical sense. "If we want to get to our destination, we'll have to walk. I don't think they know to pick us up."

The Old Lady got up and started walking. Her companions followed behind loyally.

_At the Pendleton Household_

The last box unpacked, the final piece of furniture in place, and the scuff marks on the hardwood floors cleaned up, the brick Victorian style house on the hill just off Autumn Street was now a home. Two stories, basement converted into den, four bedrooms, three bathrooms (half one downstairs, one upstairs and one in the master bedroom), nice spacious kitchen, big backyard, and lots of room.

Wheatley Pendleton stood in awe as he took in a big breath of air. He was relieved to finally have enough space to move around.

After their Aperture adventure, the apartment he shared with Lillian and Angela (Lil and Angie), became much more crowded. Little surprises tend to happen in Wheatley's life more often than he'd prefer. Lil announced to Wheatley that she was pregnant when they arrived back from Aperture and were staying at a hotel during the repairs being done around the shopping district. Though the birth of their first child was a happy occasion, it left the apartment dwellers with a little less space.

When baby Chell (called Chelly most of the time) was born, she stayed in a bassinet in Wheatley and Lil's room. When she got older and too big for the bassinet, she stayed in a crib in Angie's room. It was a tight squeeze, but they somehow managed it. When she was old enough, she got Angie's old toddler bed.

Things were going well, if not somewhat cramped. Wheatley and Lil's "private time" was constantly being invaded by one thing or another. Lil was hesitant to look for a bigger place, despite looking at real estate magazines constantly. It wasn't until the night Dr. Rattmann took Chelly and Angie to a festival in the park that things turned around for Wheatley and Lil. A few weeks later, Lil announced she was pregnant with their second child. It was then she conceded and told Wheatley to help her look for a house.

Humanity, though he had gotten used to it, still somewhat confused Wheatley. Admittedly, he felt he had reentered society well, though Wheatley still found himself doing things that embarrassed Lil or made Dr. Rattmann grab his sleeve and drag him out of a room. Simple things (like learning that toothpaste isn't glue for your teeth or the potpourri in the bowl on the table isn't a fancy salad) Wheatley grasped pretty well, but when it came to social graces, he still lacked.

Luckily for him, Lil and Angie were good teachers and didn't mind giving him a hand. Dr. Rattmann did what he could, but he himself was still readjusting to life above ground. Wheatley's memories seemed to be in place, at least for the time being. Sometimes, he would "zone out", as Lil put it, and it seemed that he would enter another world. The one thing that he found himself fighting the most was the memory of a love lost over one hundred years ago.

On the mantel, sat a picture of Wheatley and his former girlfriend, Pam. She was the love of his life and the reason he worked so hard for Aperture before his time as a core. He often wondered if there was an afterlife and if there was, if she was watching him. If there was and she was watching, Wheatley hoped she was proud of him and what he had accomplished. With Lil's blessing, they named their first child Chell Pamela Pendleton.

Taking another deep breath, Wheatley stretched out his arms with a big smile. The one thing Wheatley loved most about this house was the tall ceilings. Being unusually tall, he liked not hitting his head on everything. Enough room the stretch and enough room to breathe. No more tripping over children's toys or almost stepping on someone trying to make his way around with his long legs.

"This is wonderful, isn't it?" he asked as if expecting an answer from nowhere. "The stores are doing well, we have a new home, and everything just seems to be falling into place. I have all I need and will ever need right under one big roof." Wheatley turned around and looked out of the window on the kitchen door leading outside. His family enjoyed the summer evening in their big backyard. His wife, Lil, five months pregnant with their second child, relaxed on the patio reading a book. Wheatley smiled and often asked himself how he got so lucky. "And now, I just have to get dinner started."

If there was one thing Wheatley liked about Lil being pregnant (besides the hormones putting her constantly in the mood for love), it had to be her food cravings. On the one hand, they were amusing. When she was pregnant with little Chell, Lil craved nachos. But not just any nachos; they just HAD to be nachos from a specific convenience store and she knew the difference. Wheatley wasn't sure how she knew when he came home with nachos from the gas station down the road. And cheese wouldn't cut it; she wanted the white corn tortilla chips with chocolate sauce on top with the white cheese sauce on the side. Many a night Wheatley trudged out to the corner food mart in his robe, pajamas, and a pair of sneakers only to have the late night kid stare at him, asking him if he "had the munchies big time". Wheatley wasn't sure what that meant.

This pregnancy benefitted everyone as Lil, though usually a strict vegetarian, craved steak (well done, if she saw an ounce of pink she chased Wheatley with the fly swatter). It made Wheatley very happy, as he could now start using the new grill on the back porch. Lil may have been craving steak, but she didn't think the new grill was safe. "Wheaters, are you sure you know how to use this thing?" asked Lil, sitting in a chair near the patio table.

"Of course, Love! The manual clearly states how to use this…gas powered food heating apparatus." Wheatley reassured Lil as he placed the plate of steaks on the patio table. Dr. Rattmann resigned himself to sitting in a wicker chair while watching Angie play with little Chell in the big back yard. He relished the setting summer sun and appreciated every moment he had now. Though he slept in the basement, Dr. Rattmann was not reclusive, as it was usually him that picked Angie up from school or looked after the girls when Wheatley and Lil needed a night to themselves. Of course, he wasn't complaining.

Down the road a little ways, a man working in his front yard pointed down the street. Three figures let the man finish his directions before finally walking down the road. "There we are…" the old woman muttered as their destination came into view behind some trees. Her movements seemed somewhat stiff compared the sporadic and happy movements of her companions. The girl with orange hair looked like she could barely contain her excitement. The guy with the blue hair looked eager as well.

"Oh, the reports mentioned the house was nice, but this is spectacular. I can't believe that idiot is doing so well." The Old Woman murmured, as she took off her sunglasses to examine the house. As if almost instantly, she knew all about the house. "Red brick Victorian style home, about 3501 to 4000 square feet, four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, large backyard, refurbished basement, and a finished attic. Most impressive, to say the least. Plenty of space for a growing young family and a few long lost relatives, wouldn't you say?" she murmured to her companions, who nodded eagerly. "It should do as a temporary place…"

The Young Man tugged on the Old Lady's sleeve and pointed toward the house. Her yellow irises looked where he was pointing. "Ahh, I sense it too. Something going on in the backyard, maybe lethal based on the levels of gasoline detected." The Old Lady murmured again, bringing her purse close to her as she put her sunglasses back on.

In the backyard, Lil waved her hand in front of her face to keep the smoke from her eyes. "Wheaters, I think it just might be time to give up. I can whip up some pasta real quick or we could go for Chinese. We just moved in to this house, I don't want you burning it down already." Lil coughed as she struggled to get up from the patio chair.

"No, it's fine, Lil, really! I promised everyone steaks and we are having steaks!" Wheatley shouted as he poked one of the burnt pieces of meat with a meat fork. Dr. Rattmann, happy that he was in the yard and not on the porch, chuckled softly under his breath and reclined as Chelly poured sand on his shoes.

Dr. Douglas Rattmann, or "Grandpa" as Angie called him, took nothing for granted anymore. Despite not being of any blood relation to Lil and Angie, he welcomed the Grandpa status with open arms, as he had watched over their mother during her great Aperture adventure many years before.

Still somewhat unstable, the medication he obtained (through false identification) kept him mellow. Though, in truth, he didn't quite need it as much as he used to. He had plenty to keep his mind occupied now, and one of them was pouring sand on his new shoes. Dr. Rattmann only chuckled softly and relaxed in the early evening sun. It took some adjusting, but he fit pretty well into society after a little while. He definitely looked the part of Grandfather, with his graying hair and his few wrinkles here and there. He still had a limp, but didn't need his cane as much as he used to. It was for the best; most of the time, Chelly would take it and hide it.

"Ahh, you like dumping that dry sand on Grandpa's new shoes, don't you?" Dr. Rattmann cooed as he picked up Chelly. Dr. Rattmann, when not helping with home repairs or helping with the girls, spent a lot of time in his den, which was also his bedroom and workshop. He felt it needed to keep himself occupied as much as possible and decided to keep up with building things. Angie wasn't allowed downstairs without him, and she often described it as an evil villain's lair, like in her favorite comic books. Dr. Rattmann looked the part of mad scientist and often joked about it.

Angie, age eight going on nine, when not with little Chelly, spent most of the summer helping her sister and Wheatley get everything organized. As she grew, her two high pigtails morphed into a mid-high ponytail and she looked almost exactly like her mother but smaller and with fairer skin. At age seven, she discovered she had a fondness for comic books when Lil decided to start carrying them in the second bookstore. She was the envy of her class for a while because she always had the latest comic book before it was even released.

Though it felt unusual being an aunt at such a young age, Angie took to it well. She was more of an older sister to Chelly than anything. Angie got up from her spot on the grass and ran up to Dr. Rattmann and Chelly. "You might want to get up, Grandpa. I got a feeling we might be going for pizza soon." She giggled.

Dr. Rattmann looked over at the porch and chuckled. "I think I might be in the mood for Chinese personally." He chuckled, placing Chelly on the ground softly. With the two little ones, Dr. Rattmann approached the porch just as the smoke cleared. On the patio table sat a plate of charred steaks. He motioned for Angie and Chelly to stay back.

"Alright…who wants the first one?" asked Wheatley. Everyone looked at each other and then back to the steaks. "Oh, come on, they aren't that bad! So I added a bit too much gas. It's not like they're frozen solid like last time, just give them a taste!" Wheatley presented the plate to his family, though everyone looked on questionably. The steaks, if one could call them that, took the appearance of burnt wood and looked like they were hard enough to break one's teeth. Wheatley looked at the steaks and sniffed them. The smell reminded him of those candles Lil liked to light around Christmas time. "Fine, more for me, then." Wheatley sighed as Dr. Rattmann ushered the girls inside.

Lil folded her arms and looked at Wheatley. "I'm waiting…" she murmured, waiting for him to eat the steaks. Lil, who had been against the use of the grill in the first place, decided to ignore her cravings this time just to watch her husband wince as he placed one of the steaks into his mouth. She tapped her foot and watched. Her pregnant belly rumbled, and she started to decide in her mind what she wanted to eat.

Wheatley stuck his tongue out and attempted to taste the steak. Lil sighed and started to go inside. "Do you want pepperoni, Wheaters?" she shouted, opening the sliding patio door. Wheatley didn't answer. "Well, me and the baby are going to order pizza for everyone. I'll order you something too." Lil sighed, rubbing her stomach.

It seemed like hours that the small group stood at the bottom of the hill. The house was on a slight hill with stone steps toward the porch. Though not from fear of getting tired from the walk up, the group did seem a bit nervous about approaching the house. The Old Woman sighed softly and looked at her companions, who seemed very excited. "It has been a while since we've seen them. I wonder how well they'll take to our visit." She sighed as her companions hopped in place.

As if knowing what they were going to ask, the Old Lady shook her head. "No, we shouldn't tell them. Not right away. They might have some hostilities about us being there, I doubt they'd take the other news well. We're still not sure if it's a threat yet, so our little 'vacation' can go as planned. You have to admit, it's nice to get out once in a while, and not just on reconnaissance missions."

The Old Lady had a worried expression and decided to take the first steps up.

Wheatley tossed the burnt steaks in the trash as Lil put the phone down. "Alright, the pizzas should be here in about thirty minutes." She murmured, sitting on the couch. She patted the cushion next to her and Wheatley sat down, looking defeated. "Don't worry, Wheaters. You'll do better next time. Until then, leave the grilling to Dr. Rattmann. For a guy who used broken CPU parts for a stove for almost thirty years, that man can grill one hell of a steak, can't he?" Lil giggled, putting her head on Wheatley's shoulder.

Wheatley folded his arms and grumbled. With a kiss on the cheek, Lil finally made Wheatley smile. He put his arm around Lil and sighed happily. "You know, Lil, I still have trouble believing we're living in this house. It's so big and spacious. No more stepping on things, no more cramped quarters, no hitting my head on things. Everyone has a room and we finally have some privacy."

Scooting closer, Lil sighed in agreement. "Which reminds me; I scheduled my ultrasound for next month. We're going to find out what this baby is so we can start putting that spare bedroom together. We can probably use Chelly's old crib, but if we're having a boy, we'll have to take those pink bows off of it."

"I say we just paint the room yellow right now and decorate it with ducks." Wheatley joked. Lil sighed and cuddled closer to Wheatley. He could hear the crickets outside and the sounds of a warm summer night in the making. "I have a few names for boys I want to run by you, Love." he whispered as he brought Lil closer. Lil nodded and leaned her head on Wheatley's shoulder, placing his hand on her stomach.

This is what humanity was to Wheatley. He smiled as he felt his child kick within Lil. Wheatley still didn't get pregnancy, but whatever he didn't know, Lil happily filled him in. To him, it felt like the baby was in its own little universe and all those books Lil made Wheatley read just fascinated him more. "This is beautiful." He murmured softly. "We have a wonderful life, dear. Nothing could spoil how good I feel right now."

_**DING-DONG!**_

The doorbell spooked everyone. "That was fast. They must know we tip well." Lil murmured, as Wheatley helped her up. He watched Lil waddle as she walked and put his arms around her. Lil giggled and faced him with a big smile and a kiss. "Still excited about the house, I take it?" she asked happily.

"I still can't believe this is ours. Lock, stock, and barrel. Everything just seems to be falling into place." Wheatley murmured as he rubbed his wife's stomach. "I'll get some paint this weekend. Dr. Rattmann and I will start painting that spare bedroom. Anything is better than that ugly green color it has now."

Everyone got up from what they were doing and ran to the door. "Alright, let's not crowd the poor kid like last time." Lil shouted as she took Chelly's hand.

Wheatley reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet as he reached for the doorknob. A horrible sense of dread swept over his body. He hadn't felt anything like this since the first day the Androids came to live with him and Lil all those years ago. He felt the phantom of the implant, though it was long gone and he grabbed the back of his head. He didn't understand why he was feeling the tugging feeling at the back of his head or why he suddenly wanted to barricade the door and hide in the attic (which was currently in the process of being converted into a guest room/home office).

"Wheatley, what's wrong?" asked Lil, urging him to open the door.

"I just got…it's nothing, Love. Sorry, I'll get right on that." Wheatley murmured as the doorbell sounded again. Wheatley, despite the invisible force of the long gone implant telling him not to, turned the doorknob slowly and opened the front door. He was met by a wave of confetti and a lack luster noise maker sound. "What the bloody…" Wheatley waved the confetti from his face and looked out the door. On the porch stood an old lady wearing only white accompanied by two young adults.

_Oh no…_ he thought, wondering why he hadn't slammed the door yet. He had no idea why he felt he knew this woman. The rest of the family walked up to the door and stared at the old lady, who held her purse close and held herself regally.

"Well, Moron…aren't you going to invite us in?" she asked, taking off her sunglasses. Though he wasn't sure why, Wheatley stepped out of the way and let the Old Lady and her two companions inside. The woman's yellow irises sent a horrible shock through Wheatley's body. The Old Lady tucked her sunglasses away in her purse and looked around. "Ahh, I see it's much nicer on the inside. I must say, I am genuinely impressed. That should be taken as a compliment; it actually takes a lot to impress me."

The Old Lady looked down as Angie wandered up to her and studied the lady for a bit. The Old Lady smiled. Angie returned the smile with a glint in her eyes. "GRANDMA!" she shouted, giving the lady a hug.

"GRANDMA?!" Wheatley, Lil, and Dr. Rattmann shouted together.

Angie happily hugged the Old Lady's legs with a big smile. "Grandma! Look at you! You have a body!" she shouted happily. "You look great, Grandma! I was going to wish for you to visit me on my birthday but now I don't have to! Look, Lil! Grandma's here!" Angie took the Old Lady's hand and helped her inside.

Angie was the only person happy to see this lady. "It…it can't be…" Wheatley murmured angrily. "Is is…really you…GLaDOS?" Wheatley sounded like he didn't want to say that name. The Old Lady smiled and nodded, giving Wheatley a very bad sickly feeling in his gut. "But how…" Wheatley couldn't find the words to describe what he was feeling. Was it anger? Surprise? A mixture of the two?

"If this is 'Grandma', why isn't she a giant computer attached to the wall?" Lil asked.

GLaDOS smiled softly. "All in due time, my dear. But first, I'm sure you remember…Uncle Blue and Aunt Orange?" she murmured as her companions joined her from the porch. "Or, what was it you called those two again? I keep forgetting the names they give themselves. Well, they accompanied me."

Lil looked like he was fighting to urge to scream and strangle the person-android-thing standing before her. Before she could say anything more, Angie shrieked happily. She looked like she was about to burst into tears upon seeing the two familiar androids happily greet her. "Mr. ATLAS? Miss Pee-Bee?" she chirped. ATLAS and P-Body nodded and bent down to embrace the child as she ran to them. Her hug almost sent them backward as she embraced them tightly. "I thought I'd never see you guys again. I never got to say good-bye." Angie whimpered. P-Body shushed Angie and stood up.

Wheatley stood there, not sure what to think. It had been three years since he had seen the last of Aperture and he had hoped it would stay the last. But there they were, apparently. The very embodiment of the things he had to overcome to get to where he was now were standing in his living room, hugging his sister-in-law. Lil looked like she had a tantrum brewing in her and Dr. Rattmann looked at his watch, wondering if it was time to take his medication for the evening.

"Well, I believe we have much to discuss. Where is it you humans usually adjourn to discuss important matters? It's the room where you stuff yourself with consumables." GLaDOS chimed in, looking around. She felt P-Body tug on her sleeve and chirp something in her mechanical language. "Ahh, yes, the kitchen. It looks like you don't need to spend any more time in there, my dear." GLaDOS goaded, pointing to Lil's pregnant belly. Lil fumed and tried to ignore that comment. GLaDOS blinked once and smiled, making her way toward the kitchen with her two companions following close behind. It was at that time the pizza delivery boy knocked on the open door.

After paying for the pizzas, Wheatley put them on the kitchen counter, feeling GLaDOS's gaze follow him. "This is a pretty nice house, Moron." She said, mockingly. "You and the older one must be doing quite well."

"We have names, I'm sure you remember." Wheatley murmured, making himself a pot of tea. Lil was unsure of what to make of this. Was this really GLaDOS, the machine that tried to suck Lil's consciousness out of her body and replace it with her own? Either way, Lil wasn't happy. She folded her arms as Wheatley prepared his cup of tea and sat down. From the kitchen doorway, one could see into the living room, where Angie was giving ATLAS and P-Body the grand tour.

GLaDOS smiled as she watched Wheatley place two spoonful's of sugar into his tea and stir it around. Lil didn't trust GLaDOS, nor did she ever have a reason to. Just three years before, she tried to take over her body and kill the man that would be her husband. Something in her mind made Lil suspect GLaDOS was up to something. "Alright, I'll make this short. What do you want? You obviously don't want a body, seeing as you somehow made one yourself. Which begs the question: Why did you try to suck out my brains and use mine?!" Lil screamed.

With a happy sigh (it sounded automated); GLaDOS folded her arms and copied Lil. "Remember when you were told that my deteriorating program kept me from making rational thoughts? That was one of them. After my two companions administered the 'Quick-Fix', as you would call it, into my systems, I began to slowly repair myself. In doing so, I remembered that I had made almost human bodies for those two, so I could also do it for myself. Though, I must say, mine is made from far superior materials and a lot more time went into it."

"That doesn't explain why you're here." Lil growled. She hated how calm everyone was being about this super-computer turned android sitting at her dining room table as if nothing happened.

With a soft chuckle, GLaDOS nodded. "Indeed it doesn't. You see, though I am happy within my lovely facility, it gets quite tiring. The Cooperative Testing Initiative and I decided we needed a little vacation. Thus, I had this little number made up…" GLaDOS rubbed her sides with her hands. Her android body had a lovely figure, which made Lil fume even more. "…of course, I'm not young. As a grandmother, I have to look the part." GLaDOS played with her hair a bit and smirked.

GLaDOS's eyes darted to her feet when she heard a soft coo. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sound's origin. At her feet sat Chelly, playing with some measuring cups Lil gave her to keep her occupied while the adults talked. "Oh, well, is this…" GLaDOS knelt down and stared at Chelly. Chelly had big brown eyes and dark brown hair. She got her complexion from her mother as well as her cheeks. Chelly gave GLaDOS an inquisitive look that reminded her of Wheatley. This child was equal parts Wheatley and Lil. "Yes…you're the one I sensed within your mother…"

Chelly chewed on her little fist as GLaDOS picked her up. "You already seem smarter than your father." she murmured softly as Chelly blinked. Lil immediately got up and grabbed Chelly from GLaDOS. "Well, looks like you finally did something right, Moron." She chuckled. Wheatley snorted a bit and folded his arms. GLaDOS looked at Chelly again as she wiggled about in Lil's arms. "The smallest human…what is her name?"

Sighing heavily and placing Chelly in her high chair, Lil went to the cabinet and took out a small plate. "Her name is Chell, but we call her Chelly." Lil growled as she took a slice of the now cold pizza and cut it up on the small plate. Lil placed the plate in front of Chelly and then went to find a sippy cup. Chelly looked into GLaDOS's eyes and gave her a worried expression. "Please don't scare my child." Lil growled again as she filled the sippy cup with apple juice.

"Hello there, small one. Just call me Grandma." GLaDOS cooed softly. Lil gripped the sippy cup tightly and twisted the cap on. Chelly only cooed. "Can't she talk? Or is she mute like your mother?" asked GLaDOS.

"She's shy around new people." murmured Wheatley, sipping his tea. "Particularly old ladies with yellow eyes who come in out of nowhere claiming to be her great grandmother." He added. GLaDOS huffed and fixed herself up a bit. Dr. Rattmann, who had been silent the entire time, kept himself in a semi-meditative state. GLaDOS barely recognized him without the scraggily beard and the insane look in his eyes. He looked almost placid and held himself in a chill manner.

Lil called Angie into the dining room and set a plate with a slice of pizza on it in her spot. Angie scampered in with the Androids right on her tail. "So, I should just call you Uncle ATLAS and Aunt P-Body now?" Angie asked as she sat in her chair. Being older, Angie was able to pronounce P-Body's name without problem. The Androids nodded and stood near Angie. "Sorry we don't have enough chairs. Grandma is sitting where Grandpa usually sits and Grandpa is sitting where Lil sits and Wheatley is sitting where…he usually sits." Angie giggled. Angie had stopped calling Wheatley "Mr. Wheatley" around the time he and Lil were married. He was her brother-in-law now and the "Mr." wasn't necessary.

After Wheatley found some extra chairs, the family sat down to their dinner. GLaDOS watched as the crowded dining room table bustled with laughter and smiles of a family. She stayed stoically in her spot as Angie tried to feed ATLAS and P-Body some of her pizza and as Chelly made a mess of her piece. Something twitched within GLaDOS, and she made a note to do diagnostics on herself later.

"So, if you and the Androids are here, who's running the facility?" Dr. Rattmann finally asked after finishing his slice.

GLaDOS tapped her right temple softly and smiled. "Remote access. I can keep an eye on the facility while still wandering around here. This is the part I worked extra hard on. With it, I can still send messages to the test subjects and keep everything running. It normally would take up too much power, but this body is built to last. It's more powerful than any modern computer." said GLaDOS, somewhat self-satisfyingly.

Coughing softly, Lil stood up and started taking plates. She was so mad she could swear the amniotic fluid in her womb was boiling. Not wanting to stress out herself or the baby, Lil decided it was time to step in and do something before she started pulling out her hair. "Well, this has been fun, 'Grandma', but it's getting late and we all need our rest. That's something we humans do. Sleep…"

"Ah, yes, it IS quite late." GLaDOS stood up and looked at Angie. "Our journey was long, as we had to walk all the way here. We should indeed power down for the night. I'd say I need my beauty sleep, but that would be inaccurate. Your wife on the other hand could use a full eight hours, it seems." GLaDOS chuckled as Lil gritted her teeth. "We can discuss more tomorrow. Small one, please show us where we will be staying." GLaDOS fixed herself up a bit as Angie excitedly ran to her.

Wheatley's eyes bolted open. "Staying?" he panicked, almost knocking the chair over. "…what do you mean by 'staying'? You can't stay here!" he shouted.

"Where do you expect us to stay? We're on vacation after all, and we have nowhere to go. You wouldn't throw out family, would you?" GLaDOS goaded. Wheatley balled up his fists and was about to say something when he felt Lil grab his shoulder.

"Excuse us, please…" she murmured, dragging Wheatley into the living room. Lil made sure no one was listening before glaring at Wheatley. "We can NOT let her stay here. ATLAS and P-Body are fine, but this woman, robot, android, whatever tried to suck me out of my own body!" Lil tried to keep her voice down. Wheatley rubbed Lil's shoulders and tried to calm her down. "Secondly, we don't have any room for them! They are NOT staying in the spare bedroom, that's going to be the nursery."

Wheatley, trying his hardest to calm Lil down, sighed softly. "I know, Love. Look, we'll make ourselves very clear. We don't want her here, we want her to leave, no stress. Alright?"

Lil took a deep breath and nodded. She placed her hands on her pregnant belly and took another deep breath. Lil then put on her war face. "If she thinks she can try and suck out my brains and get forgiveness, she's sadly mistaken!" Lil growled, balling her fists and marching back to the kitchen. Wheatley shook his head and followed behind.

"Are you really staying here, Grandma?" asked Angie, as Lil and Wheatley reentered the kitchen.

"For the duration of our vacation, yes, Small One, we are." answered GLaDOS.

Angie beamed happily and took GLaDOS's hand. "This will be so cool! I'll show you everything! Grandpa and Wheatley have been fixing up everything to get ready for the new baby! I'll show you the backyard, the cool playground down the street, the other bookstore with the comic books, and the shortest route to my school that Lil doesn't like taking because of the railroad tracks!"

GLaDOS nodded happily as Angie tugged on her hand. Wheatley and Lil entered the kitchen just as Angie was leading GLaDOS toward the living room. "Our new house is so big! We have plenty of room for you guys! We got tall ceilings because Wheatley keeps hitting his head on stuff. Grandpa lives downstairs, my room is upstairs across from Chelly's and right next to the new baby's room. Wheatley and Lil stay in the big room at the end of the hallway from my room. Sometimes at night, I can hear them playing this really loud game where Lil shouts 'Yes, yes, Wheaters, keep going, more, more!' over and over…"

Lil rushed to Angie and covered her mouth while laughing nervously. "Angie, don't bore Grandma…why don't you go get Chelly and get ready for bed…" Lil pushed Angie back towards the kitchen as GLaDOS chuckled softly and watched the two humans before her blush. Wheatley cleared his throat and Lil stood straight. "Alright, we've discussed it and we want you out…now." Lil said plainly.

Blinking softly, GLaDOS made no other movements. "Well, that's too bad. I understand your hesitation, and I am not offended. I was wrong for what I did. I'd apologize, but that'd be beneath both of us." If there was any doubt in his mind that this was indeed GLaDOS, Wheatley's fears were at that moment put to rest. "You wouldn't understand the situation, so I won't bother explaining it. The fact of the matter is we have nowhere else to go and we don't intend to leave. We'll stay on the porch if need be, but we aren't going anywhere. This is our vacation, and we plan to spend time with…our family…"

Wheatley balled up his fists and gritted his teeth. "Now you listen here…!"

He didn't get to finish his sentence when Angie ran up with Chelly trailing behind. "Chelly, Grandma is staying with us! Isn't that great?" Angie asked. Chelly nodded softly, her big brown eyes looking GLaDOS over. "She can come with us to the park and she can come to my school for Family Day so I can prove to that meanie Melanie Anderson that I do have a grandmother."

"This 'Melanie Anderson' child said you didn't have a grandmother?" asked GLaDOS as Angie and Chelly led her to the couch.

"I tried to tell her you lived in a super cool science lab and she called me a liar because you weren't in the family picture I gave my teacher to put on our photo wall." Angie whimpered, plopping herself and Chelly down next to GLaDOS. "She called me a liar and made the whole class laugh at me. She's just jealous because her grandparents are retired and aren't as cool as you and Grandpa."

GLaDOS smiled deviously and placed her hands on her lap. "We'll set this 'Melanie Anderson' person straight. Don't worry, Small One. Now, why don't you and the Tiny One go get ready for bed?" GLaDOS smiled as Angie led Chelly towards the stairs. GLaDOS got up and smiled deviously to Wheatley and Lil. "Well, it seems they want me to stay. My scans indicate that there is a spare bedroom and an attic in this house."

Lil folded her arms and thought about locking GLaDOS in said attic. "Yes, but the spare bedroom is being made into a nursery for the baby and the attic is in the process of being converted into a guest room." Wheatley piped up. "So, as you can see, no room for 'Gran', unless you want to sleep in the tool shed out back. No? Oh, that's too bad, let me just help you to the door…" Wheatley started rushing GLaDOS to the front door. "I hope you have a good trip back to Aperture, we'll see you in…when's an appropriate time for a visit, do you think? How about the Tuesday after NEVER? Does that sound good? Because it sounds great to me!"

Wheatley then he found himself stopped by GLaDOS digging her heels into the floor. "A home office/guest room out of the attic? Why, that will be a perfect place to 'set up shop' as they say." GLaDOS chuckled as she started going toward the staircase. Lil blocked her path.

"Listen, 'Grandma', as lovely and unwanted as your being here is, we made it very clear that…" Lil found herself interrupted by Angie and Chelly coming downstairs in their night clothes.

"Grandpa and Wheatley are making the attic into an office and a bedroom, Grandma. You can stay there!" Angie shouted as GLaDOS took her hand. "I have a bunk bed in my room so Aunt P-Body can stay with me and Uncle ATLAS can stay in the basement with Grandpa since he has a spare cot! Won't this be fun, Lil?" Angie asked excitedly.

Lil looked at Wheatley and sighed. "I guess it's better than them sleeping in the pantry like last time…"

It seemed that Wheatley and Lil's minds had been made for them. Dr. Rattmann joined the two bewildered adults as Angie helped GLaDOS towards the stairs with ATLAS, P-Body, and Chelly trailing behind them. "I thought we bought this house because we wanted more room. Now, there's even less room than before." Wheatley whined, his right eye twitching. Dr. Rattmann, a bit lucid from taking his medication, patted Wheatley and Lil on their backs and made his way toward the basement door. He apparently had to set up the spare cot.

Wheatley sat Lil next to him on the couch as they listened to all the excitement happening around their home. Angie and Chelly shrieking happily as they helped "Grandma" get the attic room ready above them, Dr. Rattmann grunting loudly as he pulled the spare cot from its spot under his bed and the noise it made as he dragged it across his floor under them, and now their own exasperated sighs.

Lil rested her head on Wheatley's shoulder, nothing needing to be said. She hated it, but decided to make the best of it. Wheatley, inwardly, fumed over the prospect of that monster of a woman of a super computer being in his home. Wheatley decided, if she was indeed going to be staying there against their wishes, he'd have to set up some ground rules. She may have been a giant super computer in an android body, but she was now a guest in their home and he was going to make sure she didn't forget that

"Well…home sweet home, as they say…" Wheatley muttered. "…and I doubt I was going to use the attic as an office anyway…"

* * *

With a few adjustments, the attic/guest room/office was now GLaDOS's space. While she was sure the noise of her preparing her new quarters would keep the others awake, GLaDOS worked hurriedly and finally set up her equipment. How she fit all of it into the purse was something she didn't bother to explain to anyone.

Her purse, a patent pending "Aperture Science Travel-Sized Trans-dimensional Storage Carrier, Ladies Edition in white suede" let her carry any and everything she needed to turn the attic/guest room/office into her own mini facility. With one flick of a switch, GLaDOS was now online with Aperture again, keeping an eye on the entire facility from the remote access in her head and in the attic/guest room/office. Her android body, though very powerful, still needed to be recharged. Hauling around that kind of computing power in her "Grandma" body took a lot of energy.

With an automated sigh, GLaDOS had finished setting up her equipment. She and the Androids may have been on vacation, but there was still work to do. She took out a cable and lifted up the bun she had her hair in, revealing an auxiliary port. She hooked a cable into the port and hooked the other end into the computer. After a flash of one and zeros, GLaDOS was once again hooked into the Aperture Science database. After some typing, she found her way into the security feed and leaned back in her chair with a smile.

"Well, it's good to see total anarchy hasn't befallen my facility." She murmured. As if looking for something specific, GLaDOS glided across the feeds and stopped at one in particular. It was of the incinerator room or the entrance of it anyway. The door, which was made of high grade heat resistant metals, had been yanked off and sat on the ground, hanging on by one hinge. GLaDOS was in complete denial over the truth and she preferred it that way. "A turret must have combusted near the door…yeah…"

The truth was far more sinister and she felt she could hear it laughing at her from an area out of the camera's reach. She found the feed to the Central A.I. Chamber and sighed her happy automated sigh. Her chassis was still there, untouched. She synced her new body with her chassis and could keep an eye simultaneously on the facility and her surroundings should an emergency arise. But she could feel herself grow tired, as her energy was running low. She needed to recharge.

Tomorrow was a big day.

* * *

**N'cha, everyone! The name is Luna Peachie (Miss Peachie if you're naughty hehehe)! But you guys already know that, right?**

**Well, here it is, the sequel to "Reconstructing Humanity" has finally arrived! This story won't be as long as its predecessor, but I do have high hopes for it. Most of the story will take on a "slice of life" type of storyline, which I have a lot planned. You'll see plenty of GLaDOS and her Androids attempting to glide across the world of their human "family" and all around making life miserable for the adults of the Pendleton household.**

**There will be plenty of time to explain that later, Okie? I hope in my heart of hearts that this story will take off just like its predecessor. Either way, I have a lot of work ahead of me, don't I? Well, I'm just glad you guys are around to enjoy this momentous occasion with me. I love you guys.**

**Well my dears let me know how I did and if I should continue! Because I really, really, really, want to continue this! I have so much planned, it's crazy!**

**Read, review, and be merry, my doves!**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, ATLAS, P-Body, and Dr. Rattmann belong to Valve.**


	2. Cramped Quarters

_One Big Aperture Family_

Cramped Quarters

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function_

_Initiating Log Program_

_Begin When Ready…_

_We have successfully arrived at the destination reported upon and it is everything we had hoped for. As expected, our visit is most unwelcome to the adult humans in the house mentioned in earlier reconnaissance logs. While the adult humans are hesitant to accept our being here, the smaller humans seem to welcome us with open arms. Probably more out of curiosity than anything._

_Subject Angela (Angie) seems to remember us and has no qualms with our being here. As she had years ago, she affectionately refers to me as "Grandma". I am comfortable with this designation. The Cooperative Testing Initiative bots have been designated "Uncle ATLAS and Aunt P-Body" as opposed to their former designations of "Mr. ATLAS and Miss Pee-Bee". I still call them by their proper names of "Blue and Orange." She seems the happiest with our arrival and looks forward to our staying here._

_Subject Little Chell (Chelly) is the smallest human in this house. She is the life I sensed and scanned within Subject Lillian (Lil) three years prior and appears to have grown into a happy and otherwise healthy toddler. Further examination of the child may be needed. According to Subject Lillian, she has been named after the same subject that caused all that trouble years ago. She has been mentioned multiple times before and does not need repeating._

_How the former Intelligence Dampening Sphere (Wheatley) made such an intelligent child with the daughter of the mute psycho is beyond me. Apparently, Subject Lillian is expecting again. According to my scans, the child within her is about five months along and already starting noticeable movement. I couldn't tell what the gender was, as I didn't have enough time to scan Subject Lillian before almost being forced to leave. How the moron could do such a convoluted task twice is beyond me. Further study of the mother and unborn child is needed._

_I am happy to report my substitute body is working beyond expectations. I look forward to seeing exactly where this body can take me. My remote access to the facility keeps me informed of the subjects and keeps the testing going. According to my reports, everything is running smoothly. I see no reason for the Cooperative Testing Initiative to be worried._

_When the Cooperative Testing Initiative asked if I was going to tell them the reason behind our unannounced "vacation", I had to quell their curiosity. As of the current moment, I don't believe telling them would be appropriate. I do believe, however, that time is of the essence. While the Co-op bots think this threat is more menacing, I doubt anything fruitful will come of their worries. For now, I am complacent with just observing our "family" and seeing where this takes us. The subjects under this roof require much study and this gives one ample opportunity to do so._

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function_

The sounds of birds chirping outside awoke the residents of the red brick Victorian style house on Autumn Street long before any alarm clock or garbage truck. The summer was coming to a close and in a few short weeks the birds would be replaced with the sounds of children running to meet the school bus. The summer sun was already starting to gleam through the window, waking up the inhabitant of the king sized bed from his peaceful slumber. With a snort and a soft cough, Wheatley sat up and rubbed his eyes.

His night had been more restless than one would like. Usually it was Lil having the restless nights, as one of the symptoms of her pregnancy was night sweats. Wheatley hadn't had a night like that since before his Aperture adventure three years prior. His dream wasn't of anything specific, but it gave him something to think about as he started his morning routine.

Reaching for his glasses, Wheatley took a deep breath and sighed softly. He couldn't see his wife anywhere, so he assumed she had already gotten up to make breakfast. That or her morning sickness woke her up, as it sometimes did. Sitting up, Wheatley smiled softly at the warm sunshine entering the master bedroom. He sighed happily and got up. Wheatley wasn't sure why, but he often woke up before his alarm clock. It was a habit he often wondered if he always had.

"Wheatley!" shouted Lil, from downstairs. "Breakfast is ready! Get a move on!"

Chuckling to himself, Wheatley scratched his head and started making his way to the master bathroom, slowly stripping off his pajamas along the way. _It was all a dream then…_ he muttered in his mind. _The house being so quiet, there really aren't androids living here. It was all a ready bad, yet very realistic dream._ Wheatley chuckled softly and grabbed his towel from the hook on the back of the bathroom door. He made a habit of wrapping it around his waist, even though it was only him and Lil that used the master bathroom.

"I'm so happy…just a bad dream." He muttered, as he opened the bathroom door. Wheatley walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the towel fall to the floor. Lil would have yelled at him for doing that, but hopefully she stayed occupied in the kitchen long enough to where she'd never know. As he scrubbed himself clean, a lucid smile graced across Wheatley's lips. "All just a bad dream, isn't it? I'm going to go downstairs, kiss my wife, greet the kids, and there will be no androids walking around in my house. Yep…all a dream…"

After drying off and getting dressed, Wheatley found himself hesitating to open the bedroom door. "All a dream…" he murmured as he forced his arm to extend to the doorknob.

Though he tried his hardest to ignore the feeling of dread coming over him, Wheatley felt a cold shiver creep its way up his spine. "I was certain the weather man said the cold weather wouldn't start for another few weeks." He murmured, stepping out of the master bedroom. He yawned loudly, and then smiled at the smell of fresh coffee being made downstairs. "An ordinary morning with coffee and whatever Lil decided to make for breakfast. I hope her cravings haven't kicked in yet today. I don't think I can take another scrambled egg and chocolate chip cookie omelet."

Wheatley lumbered down the stairs, happy that the smell of coffee became stronger. As per routine, Lil was usually waiting by the kitchen door with a cup of coffee for him. Also per routine, the milk and sugar would be waiting in his spot at the breakfast table (the table in the kitchen) while Angie loudly munched on her cereal and Chelly had her morning sippy cup of juice after finishing her oatmeal. Dr. Rattmann usually woke up later, as he often went to bed later due to working on things in his den.

"Good morning, love." Wheatley yawned as his coffee was handed to him. He puckered up his lips for a kiss but stopped himself when he noticed who was handing him his coffee. With a sly smile across her face, P-Body chuckled in her mechanical chirping as Wheatley backed his face away and took his coffee into the kitchen. Lil chuckled as Wheatley sat in his spot, next to ATLAS, who was watching Angie eat her cereal. "Ahh, so it wasn't a bad dream. I am going completely insane." Wheatley muttered as Lil placed the sugar and milk in front of him.

Lil kissed him on the cheek and continued to make breakfast as Wheatley sat down in his spot. At least that was still there. Wheatley glanced around the kitchen, noting everything. While Lil made breakfast, P-Body washed the dishes while ATLAS made sure Angie ate her food.

Chelly finished her morning juice and stared at ATLAS inquisitively. She seemed to take quite a shine to him and reached out to him. "Awww, you like Uncle ATLAS, don't you, Chelly?" Angie cooed as she finished her cereal. ATLAS stood up and picked Chelly up from her high chair. "He's really nice. And he's strong too!"

Chelly blinked softly and grabbed a handful of ATLAS's hair, yanking it. ATLAS groaned uncomfortably as Chelly yanked harder. Wheatley chuckled softly and mixed his coffee up.

As P-Body ran to ATLAS to help pry Chelly off of his head, Wheatley sat up at the sudden realization that someone was behind him, and it wasn't Dr. Rattmann. He could hear this voice tsk softly and walk into the kitchen as silently as she had arrived downstairs. "I warned Blue about the child, but he didn't listen. You remember how hard-headed he can be."

GLaDOS glided into the room and sat down a chair or so away from Wheatley. Both Wheatley and Lil were uncomfortable with her being in the house. Her presence within their household was angering, and Wheatley was sure it was no secret that he wanted her out. He cleared his throat as Lil placed a plate in front of him. GLaDOS just sat there, staring at Wheatley as he stirred his coffee and picked up his fork. As if knowing how much it infuriated him, GLaDOS followed Wheatley's every movement with her eyes.

Having given up on trying getting the two-year-old off ATLAS's head, the Androids sat back down and watched along with their boss as Wheatley cut into his omelet and attempted to eat it. The smell indicated that it was a regular omelet with no chocolate-chip cookies in it. Wheatley glanced over at the Androids as they watched him. He slowly put the piece of omelet in his mouth and chewed slowly. "So, what plans do you have today, idiot?" GLaDOS finally asked as Wheatley swallowed what was in his mouth.

Wheatley cleared his throat and glared at GLaDOS. "For one, I'm laying down some ground rules for our unwanted guests." He grumbled as he sipped his coffee.

"You have other people staying here?" asked GLaDOS, almost mockingly. Wheatley tried to keep his hand from shaking angrily. "Because I did a full scan of this house and unless you count the maniac occupying your basement, we're the only other guests here."

"He meant _you_, 'Grandma'." Lil grumbled as she took Angie's empty cereal bowl.

Wheatley sighed and pushed his plate away. He may not have been very hungry, but he had bigger things to worry about. "Alright, you staying here is apparently going to happen whether I want it to or not. Just remember this: you are staying in _MY _house, so you are going to abide by _MY_ rules. Is that clear?"

GLaDOS had a hard time keeping a straight face. Lil grabbed Chelly off ATLAS's head and sat her back in her high chair. ATLAS tried to ignore Chelly reaching for him again. He tried to ignore Chelly's whining as she hopelessly reached for "Uncle ATLAS".

"When I say something is final, it is final." Wheatley looked at GLaDOS, who nodded with her grin. "The same rules apply to you that apply to the children. No loud noises, you clean up after yourselves, and you are to do as you're told. You help out around here or you can just stay out of the way. I'd prefer the last option, but knowing you, that won't happen. You're guests in our home, so act like it!"

It was then GLaDOS bellowed out the deepest, most mechanical laughter anyone had ever heard. "That's adorable." She chuckled as her laughter died down. "Don't worry, Moron. We'll be good little tourists on our vacation. I promise we'll…" she started laughing again. GLaDOS couldn't make a promise to behave with a straight face. "You look cute when you're trying to be assertive." GLaDOS goaded. Wheatley tried not to get angry. Lil could sense it and grabbed the newspaper from the counter. Wheatley grumbled and opened the newspaper, trying to ignore the soft laughter of GLaDOS.

Angie sipped her juice happily as GLaDOS slowly glanced at her. "What are your plans for your vacation, Grandma?" she asked happily. "There is a bunch of cool stuff we can do around the house while Wheatley and Grandpa are busy around the house."

"What were you planning on doing today, Small One?" GLaDOS asked.

"Me and Chelly were going to go on a treasure hunt in the back yard. Then we were going to have lunch in the living room, and then go with Lil to the super market to pick up some stuff for dinner." Angie's big smile gave GLaDOS a warm feeling in her systems. "Tuesdays are usually pretty boring. Wednesdays are pretty exciting, though."

Lil walked to the cabinet and took out a box of stuff. She plopped it in front of GLaDOS, making the table shake. "Alright, you may not take Wheatley seriously, but you're going to take _me_ seriously." Lil scolded. Angie knew the look Lil had on her face and immediately took Chelly into the living room, motioning for the Androids to follow. "You two stay put!" Lil shouted, pointing to the Androids and then to the chairs next to GLaDOS. The Androids sat back down as GLaDOS rummaged through the box before her. "Just like Wheatley a few years ago, you three will be earning your keep around here. Since you insist on staying here, you're going to help me with the house work and whatever else I need done."

Reaching into the box, Lil pulled out a bucket full of cleaning supplies and some sponges. "Since I like you the least, you're on cleaning detail. It takes a lot to keep this house up and running, so you're going to learn the ins and outs of the Pendleton household, and I don't just mean the technical aspects." Lil sneered at GLaDOS as she handed her the items. "…and the best way to learn about a house is to know how dirty it can get. So, you're going to clean this house from top…" Lil pointed to the ceiling. "…to bottom." Lil pointed to the floor. "As far as I see it, you have quite a debt to me. You want my trust? Earn it and be grateful I'm giving you the chance."

Wheatley tried not to laugh, feeling a bit justified as he chuckled. Lil walked out of the kitchen and came back with a diaper bag from the hall closet. "ATLAS and P-Body, you two get to help me with the kids." said Lil, tossing the diaper bag to P-Body. "You will learn how to pack a diaper bag and help me with everything the girls need." Lil looked to ATLAS, who looked like he was dreading his assignment. "ATLAS, along with helping with the kids, you're going to help the men around here with repair work, yard work, or whatever else men do whenever women tell them to do things. Today, you're going to start by mowing the backyard. The lawnmower is in the toolshed out back."

ATLAS and P-Body saluted, though GLaDOS looked less than thrilled. It was at that time that the basement door opened, revealing a yawning Dr. Rattmann. He looked around and sighed. "Ahh, so it wasn't a dream brought on by the medication. Well, that's good to know." He murmured as he sat down next to GLaDOS. "Morning, honey…" Dr. Rattmann joked as Lil placed breakfast in front of him. GLaDOS snarled at him.

"Good morning, Grandpa!" Angie shouted as she and Chelly ran back into the kitchen to greet Dr. Rattmann. "Lil is making Grandma clean the house today!"

Dr. Rattmann chuckled as he waited for Wheatley to get finished reading the newspaper. Dr. Rattmann was relieved that today's omelet didn't have bits of cookies in it. "So, what do you two have planned for today?" he asked as Angie walked up to him with Chelly.

"Me and Chelly are going on a treasure hunt today!" Angie shouted, happily.

"Chelly and _I_, Little One. Remember that talk about grammar we had with your teacher?" Dr. Rattmann remarked as Lil placed a coffee mug in front of him.

"Sorry, Grandpa. _Chelly and I_ are going to dig for treasure in the backyard. It's baby stuff, but Chelly insists…" Angie tried to look innocent. Angie wanted to look more adult to Lil and the other adults, but still found herself giving into childish impulses. Angie seemed more excited about the aspect of digging in dirt than Chelly did.

GLaDOS put the bucket on the floor and smiled down at Angie. "That seems like a colossal waste of time. You could be expanding your horizons beyond playing in dirt like a cave dwelling savage. Aren't you in school, child?" she asked softly.

"It's summer break, Grandma! I don't have school until the last week of August." Angie corrected in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Duh, 'Grandma'." Dr. Rattmann chided as he sipped his coffee. Unlike Wheatley, Dr. Rattmann preferred his coffee black with one small spoonful of sugar. He liked his coffee slightly bitter, professing that it helped him wake up. GLaDOS glared at Dr. Rattmann and then at Wheatley, who was laughing softly.

"And the smallest one?" asked GLaDOS.

Wheatley shook his head. "Chelly is only two. She won't be starting school for another three years." Wheatley slowly turned the page of his newspaper and sipped his coffee. "If you're going to stay here, at least call us by our names, alright?" Wheatley finished reading his paper and handed it to Dr. Rattmann.

"I promise nothing." GLaDOS said plainly.

Wheatley rolled his eyes and went back to his coffee. GLaDOS, obviously bored with the morning routine, got up and left the kitchen, "accidently" bumping Wheatley's chair. Once he was sure she was gone, Wheatley looked at Dr. Rattmann, who was oddly calm during all this. "You can't be okay with this." He whispered. Dr. Rattmann just shrugged as he drank his coffee and read the paper. If Wheatley could, he'd take a few of Dr. Rattmann's pills himself if it meant he could be that placid about everything. He shook the idea from his head when Lil sat down.

After the girls and the Androids left, Lil felt it was safe to talk. "We're going to have to make the best of this." She said, finally. Wheatley looked a little surprised at Lil's statement, considering just three years prior Lil was fighting to keep her body. "It's obvious she's not going to leave. But as she said, she's on 'vacation' and vacations have to come to an end. If we think she's up to something, and it's obvious she is, we'll take care of it. Until then, let's just see where this goes. If it means I don't have to clean any toilets, I'm happy."

Dr. Rattmann scratched his chin and nodded. "I do find it odd that she just 'decides' to leave the facility with nothing but a handbag and two Androids. Even with remote access, handling a facility as big and technologically advanced as Aperture is an around the clock job, not just something you can take a break from. Whether or not she's up to something may not be our biggest concern."

Nodding softly, Wheatley cleared his throat and stood up. "Well, you two may be okay with this, but I'm not!" Wheatley shouted, pushing his chair in. "She's up to something, and I'm going to find out what it is before it blows up the city or our home!" Wheatley stomped out of the kitchen and toward the living room.

Lil sipped her juice softly (being pregnant, she couldn't drink much coffee). "I never said I was okay with it." She mumbled.

Wheatley entered the living room to find GLaDOS sitting in the big recliner chair, with Angie and Chelly on the floor by her feet. ATLAS and P-Body were on the love seat, watching as Angie flipped channels on the television. The Androids still seemed amazed by the concept of cable television. Wheatley cleared his throat towards GLaDOS, trying to convey that she was in his seat. "You should really get a doctor to examine that cough. Wouldn't want the children to catch it, would we?" GLaDOS chided.

Balling up his fists, Wheatley sat himself in on the couch. "Angie, turn on the morning news, please." Wheatley mumbled, as Chelly began climbing the couch to sit next to him.

"But I want to watch cartoons!" Angie complained as Chelly clapped along to the theme song of the cartoon on the television. "You always get to watch the morning news! I want to show Grandma that pony show that Lil doesn't like us watching!"

Wheatley sighed and stared at Angie, about to say something. "Go ahead and watch your pony cartoon, Small One." GLaDOS cooed, patting Angie on the head. "I am curious to see why something obviously forbidden by the adult figures fascinates this child so much." Wheatley was about to say something, but decided against it. He decided to bide his time. GLaDOS was his house guest, he kept remembering that.

Never one to turn down watching cartoons (it was his guilty pleasure), Wheatley sat on the couch, entranced by the colors and fast paced animation, though it gave him a slight headache. "I wonder why she doesn't let you watch this show. It's pretty enthralling." Wheatley muttered softly. The Androids, who were sitting on the love seat next to the couch, got up and sat next to Wheatley to get a better view of the television. P-Body sat on one side and ATLAS sat on the other. Chelly smiled wide and reached over her father, trying to grab at ATLAS again.

GLaDOS, who didn't seem to agree with Wheatley's opinion of the show, snatched the remote from Angie, turning the television off. Standing up to see the annoyed faces staring at her, GLaDOS didn't seem apologetic in her choice. "If this is what constitutes quality programing for children, I think you'd be better off digging in dirt."

Wheatley tried to get comfortable on the couch, but found himself being nudged and moved around by the Androids' constant fidgeting. "This is totally unacceptable." He mumbled, accidently kicking ATLAS as he crossed his long legs. ATLAS mumbled back in his mechanical language and pointed to Wheatley's legs. "I can't help that I have long legs. Why can't you two sit somewhere else? The couch is big enough for two more people and you decide to sit so close to me!"

Chelly started to climb her father, trying to get to ATLAS. ATLAS scooted down to the next cushion, but Chelly seemed determined to get to him. As Chelly climbed up Wheatley's head, knocking his glasses off balance, P-Body found herself reaching over him, grabbing Chelly as she kicked and shouted for ATLAS. Wheatley groaned as Chelly kicked his head a few times. P-Body stood up, holding the shouting toddler as Angie and GLaDOS laughed at Wheatley's disheveled face.

Readjusting his glasses, Wheatley stood up and straightened his shirt out. "While you're up, Moron, could you get me a drink?" GLaDOS chided.

"You're a robot. Since when do you do drink or do anything of the sort?" Wheatley demanded.

GLaDOS smiled. "I just wanted to see what the tradition response is to that question." She laughed, waving him away as if he were a servant.

Wheatley sighed and left the living room for the kitchen again. Lil was cleaning up and Dr. Rattmann had finished the paper. "What was all that screaming?" Lil asked, putting the last plate on the dish rack. "Were you guys watching that pony cartoon again? You know I don't like the girls watching that show. As if video games and sugar don't melt their minds enough, you allow them to watch that drivel."

"It's not that bad of a cartoon. It's got bright colors, engaging plot…" Wheatley counted on his long fingers. Lil put her hand on her hip and glared at him. "…it wasn't me! _SHE_ undermined my authority and told the girls they could watch it! I wanted to watch the news!"

"Wheaters, if you want to watch cartoons, watch the television in our room and don't blame the kids." Lil wiped her hands and leaned against the counter. Her pregnant belly poked out a little more each day and Wheatley swelled with pride as Lil sat down in a nearby chair. Gone were Lil's black t-shirts and form fitting jeans that complimented her curvy hips and now were the brightly colored maternity shirts and uncomfortably loose maternity pants that made her feel like she was wearing a circus tent.

Before Wheatley could say anything, the Androids ran back into the kitchen, with Chelly stuck to ATLAS again. Lil sighed and got up again. "This better not be a recurring thing with you, Missy." She groaned as she pried Chelly off ATLAS. ATLAS sounded off his thanks in his mechanical language as Lil handed Chelly to Dr. Rattmann. "You'd think she'd give you two the ability to talk by now." Lil murmured.

"She probably didn't think it was practical. I mean, she can understand them, Wheatley can understand them, and to an extent, I can understand them." Dr. Rattmann bounced Chelly on his knee, smiling at her happy baby giggling.

"How can you understand them? I understand Wheatley understanding them considering he used to be a robot, but how can you?" asked Lil.

Dr. Rattmann smiled and took Chelly's little hands, pretending to dance with her. "I spent years around machines before and after Aperture completely shut itself off from the world, that includes my time in the Core Garden before you all came to the facility. I sabotaged a lot of her work in the twenty-odd years I spent living within the walls after your mother left. I had to make do with what allies I could get, even if it meant the very machines I feared. You don't spend years around said machines and not eventually learn their language. It's not much different from baby babble, right Chelly?" Chelly bounced happily on Dr. Rattmann's knee and clapped happily.

Chelly knew a few words, but most of her sentence structure was still garbled babbling. It worried Wheatley and Lil, but the pediatrician told them that babies learn at their own pace. "Gan-pa bouncy!" Chelly laughed as Dr. Rattmann stopped bouncing her. "Gan-pa, bouncy more!" she shouted when Dr. Rattmann placed her on the floor.

The moment Chelly was on the floor, she bolted for ATLAS again. Wheatley scooped her up before she could climb on ATLAS again. "I have no idea what her fascination is with you. Sorry, mate." Wheatley held onto Chelly tightly as she wiggled about, reaching for ATLAS.

"Alright, everyone is fed, the kitchen is cleaned up, and it's time to start the day. Everyone made of metal or any other kind of technologically advanced material line up in front of me." Lil shouted through the doorway leading to the living room. GLaDOS seeming glided into the kitchen, where Lil handed her the bucket from before. "You can start by swabbing the bathrooms."

GLaDOS didn't look happy. "Oh, yes. This is the perfect use for such an advanced piece of intricate technology. I dreamed of cleaning your human waste receptacles while I spent over a year perfecting every fine detail of this body to run perfectly and without error."

"…and they say dreams don't come true." Lil chided and turned to face the Androids. "ATLAS, you're in charge of mowing the back yard. Be sure to pick up any toys the girls left out there. I usually cut the grass because Wheatley isn't allowed the use the lawnmower ever since that volleyball net fiasco."

"I keep telling you, woman! I didn't see it!" Wheatley shouted.

"How do you not see a big volleyball net when mowing the lawn? And it wasn't even on the ground, it was still up." Lil remarked as she handed the keys to the toolshed to ATLAS. "Well, either way, the violent vibrations aren't good for the baby, so ATLAS is overtaking this task." ATLAS saluted and ran for the door leading outside.

Lil took Chelly from Wheatley put her on the ground next to P-Body's feet. "Go with the girls outside. There is a patch of dirt in the spot I'm going to put my garden, they can dig there. When they're done, hose them off and bring them inside." P-Body nodded and took little Chelly's hand, leading the way to find Angie. Lil turned with a pretty devilishly happy look on her face. She faced GLaDOS with purpose. "I'm sure you're anxious to get started so I won't keep you. If you need help or find the need to complain, I'll be downstairs."

GLaDOS huffed and placed the bucket on the floor. "This is beneath me. I'm not dressed or made for this kind of manual labor. Orange…" GLaDOS shouted. P-Body ran back into the kitchen and saluted. GLaDOS pointed to the bucket and P-Body happily picked it up. "You heard the walking incubator. Get started. I'll be up in a moment to 'assist' you." GLaDOS commanded. P-Body took the bucket with and unsure look, glanced at Lil, who only sighed, and ran towards the upstairs. Lil rubbed her forehead with her fingers.

Outside, as ATLAS pondered the tool shed, Wheatley and Dr. Rattmann were dispatched by Lil to keep an eye on the girls, since P-Body was now doing GLaDOS's chores. It was by far the easiest chore Lil had ever assigned to them and didn't complain. "So, what do you think they're up to?" Wheatley asked as Dr. Rattmann passed him a drink. "I mean, besides the chores Lil assigned them."

Dr. Rattmann shrugged and watched ATLAS carefully as he took the lawn mower out of the shed and looked it over. "I don't think it's those two we need to worry about. Despite the obvious lack of human interaction besides cleaning up whatever gory mess aligned a test chamber after a subject exploded, they seem competent enough to at least look after children. They have the same mindset as them, anyway. They may have free will, but to them, GLaDOS is still their boss and they go where she goes. It's interesting, in a cosmic way. She gave them free will, but not the ability to acknowledge it."

Wheatley had no idea what Dr. Rattmann was getting at, but decided to let him explain himself. They drank sodas, as Lil didn't like alcohol in the house while she was pregnant. "Something is definitely not right, but at the moment, nothing's on fire or exploding, so I think the best course of action would be to…well, do nothing." Dr. Rattmann sipped his soda contently and leaned back in the porch chair. Wheatley didn't seem satisfied with that answer.

"The moment they walked in, I knew they'd be up to something. But what?" Wheatley murmured. He scratched his chin, which was forming a stubbly goatee, and sat back.

Dr. Rattmann shrugged again. "How about this: I'll keep an eye on GLaDOS. With Lil being pregnant, she'll need all your help, and you won't have time to keep tabs on her and the Androids. ATLAS and P-Body, or whatever they want to call themselves, are obviously more trusted than their boss, so keeping an eye on them won't be top priority. If anything seems amiss, I'll let you know and I'll help you throw them out. Until then, enjoy the fact that the giant super computer that tried to kill you and take over your wife's body has compressed herself into a compact casing is now incurring your wife's hormonal pregnant wrath and not you."

Wheatley nodded happily and the two men clinked their soda bottles together. The two men watched as Angie wiggled around, trying to get a hold of Chelly who was climbing all over her in order to get to ATLAS. "We might want to find out what Chelly's fascination with ATLAS is before she tears Angie apart trying to get to him." Dr. Rattmann added.

Inside, Lil watched as GLaDOS "supervised" P-Body scrubbing the upstairs bathroom floor. "I'd say be mindful of the fumes, but seeing as you're a robot, that'd be pointless." Lil remarked as P-Body continued to scrub. "So, exactly how are you helping?" Lil asked.

GLaDOS sighed her mechanical sigh and looked around the bathroom. "I'm supervising." She explained plainly. According to her studies, humans used restrooms as not only a place to relieve wastes, but also as a place of meditation. This confused her somewhat and wondered how anyone could get any thinking done in a place that needed constant sanitation.

"You're not much of a supervisor." Lil mumbled. Rolling her mechanical eyes, GLaDOS dismissed P-Body to examine the work done. P-Body happily left the upstairs and ran downstairs to join the children.

The bathroom was a pretty standard one for a room shared by two small humans. Toys everywhere and cheerful characters adorned the products. GLaDOS did a quick scan of the restroom and cocked her head a bit. Lil folded her arms and watched as GLaDOS examined the toilet. "I'm not showing you how it works, so don't ask." Lil said immediately, as GLaDOS turned around.

"This waste receptacle seems to be malfunctioning." GLaDOS mentioned. She tapped the side of the porcelain bowl a few times and listened to it ping.

"Yeah, I've called a plumber, like, a million times and for some reason, the water in that bowl just won't recede properly. It's a bit beyond Wheatley and Dr. Rattmann's area of repair expertise and I'm sick of paying that plumber to keep coming back to tell me he has to come back another day." Lil mumbled.

"While it's unlikely you actually called him over one million times, I believe I can help resolve your problem without having the idiot or the maniac hurt themselves or paying someone who obviously has no good intentions toward his job. May I see your tools?" GLaDOS asked. A little uncomfortable that GLaDOS was being polite, Lil left the upstairs hallway and came back moments later with a tool box. GLaDOS looked at Lil and shooed her out of the bathroom. After closing the door, Lil was sent a back by the loud whirring and knocking sounds coming from the bathroom.

Lil reached for the door knob just as GLaDOS opened the bathroom door and stepped out. "Try it now." She murmured as Lil walked in. Not only was the bathroom clean with all the bath toys tidy and the toilet paper turned in its proper position, but Lil flushed the toilet and it was working perfectly. "I also tightened up the screws on the handle knobs on the cabinets. They seemed a little loose."

"How did you do that?" Lil asked, amazed.

GLaDOS made a screwing motion with her hand and wrists. "I took the screwdriver, and…"

"No, I mean, how did you fix the toilet?" Lil asked.

"Oh, that was easy. I won't insult you with the basics of waste receptacle repair, but I also made it so it doesn't use as much water. You'll save money and energy. I also made it so the bulbs above the mirror over the sink won't go out. EVER." GLaDOS dusted off her hands and picked up her cleaning bucket to get started on the next task.

Lil blinked a few times and sighed with a smile. "What do you know about lighting?" she asked, taking the bucket from GLaDOS and placing it down. As GLaDOS explained, Lil escorted her downstairs.

Outside, Wheatley found himself helping ATLAS with the lawnmower. It wouldn't start and Wheatley turned it over to take a look. "These blades are there to cut the grass, see? If they weren't there, you'd basically be pushing a gas powered stroller without the seat." Wheatley explained, pretending to know what he was talking about. "Oh, and NEVER put the baby on this thing unless you want Lil to run outside screaming horrible obscenities. I swear, she tells me to spend more time with the kids _and _do the yard work and then screams at me for finding a way to combine the two. I didn't even get a chance to turn it on."

ATLAS nodded, having accepted Wheatley as his mentor. Dr. Rattmann stayed on the porch with P-Body and the girls. "Grandpa, are Wheatley and Uncle ATLAS going to get hurt?" Angie asked softly. Dr. Rattmann nodded as they watched Wheatley and ATLAS pull things apart on the lawn mower. P-Body shook her head and handed Chelly to Dr. Rattmann. P-Body walked over to the lawn mower and knelt down.

"Now, P-Body, love, we got this under control. We're not sure while it's not moving properly, but we think it has something to do with the blades. Now, ATLAS, when I say 'GO', I want you to turn on the mower so I can dislodge this rock." Wheatley shouted, with ATLAS nodding in agreement. Though she thought it'd be funny to watch Wheatley lose an arm, P-Body shouted for the two to stop. She moved them out of the way and started tinkering with the mechanics of the lawn mower. She even dislodged the stuck rock and handed it to Wheatley. "Oh, I forgot you're good with repair work…" he murmured, as ATLAS turned on the mower. It worked perfectly from then on out.

Back inside, the sounds of the mower relaxed Lil enough to let her guard down around GLaDOS, who had finished looking at the fuse box (it was located in the pantry). "This might be Orange's area of expertise, but I made it so you never have to pay electricity bills again." GLaDOS said, somewhat self-satisfyingly. Lil, looking genuinely impressed, invited GLaDOS to sit down. "If you want, I can make it to where every time the neighbors try to steal your wireless internet, it sends a shock through their keyboards each time they enter a wrong password."

"No, it might confuse Wheatley too much and the less brain cells he loses the better." Lil sighed, pouring herself a glass of lemonade.

"Then when do I get to have fun?" GLaDOS chuckled softly. GLaDOS watched as Lil maneuvered herself to sit in the chair comfortably. Watching this adult human female waddle around all day gave GLaDOS a sick type of enjoyment that only human suffering can give her. GLaDOS did a quick scan of Lil's lower stomach and watched as the small child within her moved around. "Your child…" GLaDOS mumbled.

Lil looked up and sipped her lemonade. "Yes, what about it?" Lil asked.

"Do you know what you are having?" GLaDOS asked.

"Not yet, but my next appointment is my ultrasound. We'll figure it out then. It'll certainly help us narrow down some names." Lil relaxed a bit in her chair as GLaDOS looked her over. When Lil heard a small popping noise outside, she slowly got up and went to the window on the door. GLaDOS reached into her pocket and pulled out something small. She nonchalantly placed it in Lil's drink before Lil could turn around. "I keep telling Wheatley we need a new lawn mower, but he won't listen. I hate loud noises; they can't be good for the baby." Lil rubbed her stomach softly.

Not wanting to seem soft, GLaDOS cleared her throat (despite having no need to do so) and got up. She watched eagerly as Lil drank her lemonade down to the last drop. "Well, let's hope it gets its brains from you and not that moron. I'd hate to see your mother's legacy go down in such idiotic flames because of it." GLaDOS chided as she wandered toward the living room. Lil sighed and shrugged, liking the nice GLaDOS while she lasted.

GLaDOS walked into the living room and sat in Wheatley's recliner again. She noticed on the floor beside the fireplace just a little ways away was something very familiar. Walking over and kneeling down, GLaDOS placed her hand on the burnt companion cube, which housed a picture of Lil and Angie with their mother. GLaDOS picked up the picture and traced her finger along the image of Chell.

"I have more pictures of her, if you want to see them." Lil remarked, surprising GLaDOS.

GLaDOS placed the picture down and regained her composure. "I'd rather clean your toilets." She stated, and walked away with her head held high.

Wheatley and Dr. Rattmann walked in just as GLaDOS made her way upstairs. Assuming she was done with her assigned chores, Wheatley walked up to Lil and kissed her cheek. "The Androids are doing great outside. We decided to let P-Body work the mower and let ATLAS take care of the girls." He said, happily as he pointed outside. Lil meandered over to the window and giggled at Chelly climbing on ATLAS and resting comfortably on his head as Angie gave him a tour of the back yard. They waved to P-Body as she mowed the grass.

"Weird to think that the guy robot would be better with kids and the girl robot would be good with tools." Lil giggled.

"Where's GLaDOS?" asked Dr. Rattmann.

Lil shrugged and looked around. "She was actually more help than I figured she'd be. She 'supervised' cleaning the bathrooms, but she fixed the broken toilet and found us a way to never pay electricity bills again. I never thought I'd say this, but…I think I might actually like having her around."

Not sure if he heard Lil right, Wheatley looked at his wife inquisitively. Lil placed her hand on her stomach and decided to go make lunch. Despite happy faces all around, something still wasn't sitting right with Wheatley about GLaDOS or her Androids. He thought about this through lunch, through the girls and the Androids fighting over the remote after lunch, through Lil yelling at him for eating the last cookie, and through Lil asking him what he wanted for dinner.

At the dinner table, Lil happily served everyone, though she wasn't sure what GLaDOS and the Androids were doing at the table. She sighed and shrugged sitting down to eat with the family. Wheatley felt he was the only one who felt something wasn't right, but he decided to try and let it go, for Lil's sake.

"So, I took a look at your outside air conditioning unit, and if you let me have access to your tools again, I might be able to make it to where intruders get a dose of boiling hot water to the face when they try to break in." GLaDOS mentioned as she watched Angie shovel her little portion of chicken casserole in her mouth. Watching GLaDOS glare at her made Angie sit straight and eat with her mouth closed.

Everyone, except Wheatley, laughed and talked happily around the table.

"Am I the only one who still thinks she's up to something?" asked Wheatley, as he and Lil got ready for bed later that night. Lil would have nodded but let Wheatley have his moment. "And what happened to making her suffer by cleaning our house?" Wheatley looked at Lil, who was wearing her pink pajamas that she bought once her stomach started poking out. Lil put her hand on her pregnant belly and watched Wheatley trace about the room. "She's up to something. I know she is, and I won't sleep until I find out what it is."

"Well, I advise you to get some sleep, because I have some errands I need you to run while I'm at the other bookstore tomorrow. Dr. Rattmann and I are going to train some new people for when the college students come back to town and we're going to need all the help we can get there and around the house. Maybe this is a good thing." Lil got under the covers. "I mean, even if she still plans to steal my body or anyone else's body, she has no means to do it. I doubt she can call forth the forces of the labs from here. I'm not saying we shouldn't be weary, but maybe she actually did just need a break from that place. At least she's quiet."

Wheatley shook his head as he laid down next to Lil. Her hormones made everything construed to her. One minute she could be plotting her revenge, the next she'd be inviting someone to sit for tea. It confused him and now it was getting in the way of something important. Lil turned off the light and snuggled close to Wheatley. Wheatley took off his glasses and placed them on the night stand. As they got comfortable, the sounds of drilling and buzzing woke them up. It was coming from above them, in the attic where GLaDOS housed herself.

"Maybe we spoke too soon…" Wheatley murmured, as he buried his head under his pillow.

* * *

GLaDOS continued work on her attic lab well into the night. She had no need for sleep, but her power reserves were depleting fast. Finally finished with what needed to be fixed, GLaDOS connected herself into the computer and waited for the Aperture logo to come onto the screen in front of her.

She made sure her handbag (the patent pending "Aperture Science Travel-Sized Trans-dimensional Storage Carrier, Ladies Edition in white suede") was still close by, as she didn't like to leave without it. Though she had made an exception today, she decided not to part with it again after she glanced at the computer monitors showing the security feeds. She typed something vigorously into the commands and watched as each screen showed her something different.

"Rearranging things, are we? Well, let's see how you like this…" she murmured, prompting some of the test chambers to move about and rearranging a few of the walkways. "I'd better lock them in place before he gets anymore ideas." The typed more commands and then pressed enter. She heard mechanical groaning noises and sat back, somewhat satisfied. "It won't keep, but at least I know where we both stand."

She disconnected herself and went to another monitor. GLaDOS typed in another prompt and on the screen popped the image of a baby in utero. GLaDOS had slipped a microscopic camera into Lil's drink earlier so she could better monitor and research the growth of her child. "Good. Everything seems normal…"

Though she wasn't sure why, GLaDOS was fascinated by the prospect of studying the child Lil carried. The child seemed active and GLaDOS recorded it all.

As she started typing again, GLaDOS heard something near her door. She turned her chair to see a small manila envelope slide under the door. GLaDOS carefully got up and approached it. The top of the envelope read "To the World's Best Supervisor". Her scans indicated that it wasn't anything bad, so she picked it up and opened it. Inside was an old picture of Chell.

If she could cry, GLaDOS would be fighting the urge to. "I don't know why they think I would want a picture of you, you mute freak. Even after you integrated in society, you still couldn't get that weight off. Oh well, not that I ever expected you to actually make it across the field." She growled. GLaDOS took the picture and placed it on the keyboard as she reached into her handbag. She pulled out some tape and taped the picture to the monitor housing the feed of Wheatley and Lil's unborn child.

"You might as well have a front row seat to the excitement, Fatso. You should be grateful, as well. I've taken it upon myself to keep these humans you call family safe." GLaDOS continued to converse with the photograph as if it were actually Chell standing there with her. It sent a good feeling through her systems as she worked at her console. She had to keep things in check. Even though she could technically access the feeds from anywhere in her head, she didn't want to be distracted during the day. It was easier to connect to the facility through an outside source anyway.

It made it harder for _HIM_ to detect her.

* * *

**N'cha, my lovelies!**

**I guess we'll find out who really runs the house, won't we? Haha. **

**So, have you guys been checking out my other works? I've got plenty of side-projects going on to keep you guys in a good mood. My latest addition to is an Elder Scrolls fic called "Mara Save Us" that I'm actually pretty proud of. I might get started on the next chapter of that soon. For those who follow "Playing Favorites", don't worry the next chapter is on its way. I just got side tracked, so don't worry.**

**I have plenty planned for this story, so no worries, my loves. All I've got is time nowadays. Work, home, fics. I'm oddly dedicated to all of those haha. I'm also working on my novel as well. Oh, did I mention I'm writing a novel as well? I am! It's slow moving at the moment, but I hope to have it finished within the year. Don't worry; it's not a retelling of any of my fics here. It's a totally original concept. What I post here is specifically for you guys and made just for you all. Remember that.**

**Well, how did I do? Did I do well? Did I bomb completely? Was it funny? Was it rushed? PLEASE LET ME KNOW FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING! Just kidding, haha. But seriously, let me know how I did in the review thingy and keep my stories going!**

**Read, review, and be merry, my doves!**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, ATLAS, P-Body, Chell, and Dr. Rattmann belong to Valve.**


	3. Dreamweaver

_One Big Aperture Family_

Dreamweaver

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function_

_Initiating Log Program_

_Begin When Ready…_

_There seems to be something of a dominance competition in this household. While Subject Wheatley (former Intelligence Dampening Sphere) is the male, tradition would state that he is to be the head of the household and primary decision maker for the family. But tradition seems to have taken a back seat with this family. Subject Lillian (Lil) seems to have the most dominance in the family, despite traditional roles. It is she that gets the younger ones up in the morning and makes sure they are fed while the idiot and the maniac sleep in._

_I have observed that though she finds most activities tiring now, Subject Lillian does them with little to no complaint. According to Subject Lillian, the fetus within her is about twenty weeks (five months) along and she is showing the usual symptoms of pregnancy in female humans. I have been monitoring the child through a microscopic camera of my own design that I snuck into her drink. The child is developing normally, despite all the noise surrounding it on a daily basis. Subject Lillian tires faster and it seems her stomach gets bigger by the day._

_I wonder what it is like to have such an amazing power…to carry life…_

_Female humans can carry life within their bodies and give birth. From an outward perspective, the human male contribution to life is pretty minimal and embarrassing. Subject Lillian carries life within her, a practice I find both unnecessary and fascinating at the same time. The entire family seems to be anticipating this child, but I don't. The Androids find the concept of childbirth captivating and wish to know more. As much as I'd like to indulge them, I think it might be best to keep this part of my studies private. They seem to enjoy it here. It should be noted that they also enjoy watching bugs crawl on the floor._

_We've been here for about a week or so, and so far the Androids are happy to fall into their routine. I don't seem to fit into this routine._

_Maybe it's time to make a new routine…_

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function_

It had already been a week and GLaDOS felt that her presence in the Pendleton household on Autumn Street was still unwanted. It was to be expected and she accounted for that in every mathematical equation she put forth when it came to any outcome of her actions.

The nights were starting to get colder, according to her internal thermometer, and she could tell the seasons were changing. In the little time she had been there, GLaDOS had completely redecorated the attic room into her own personal lab. Computer monitors and components adorned the walls and wires came out of everything. GLaDOS kept working, recharging as she worked. Multiple cords stuck into the prong under her hair bun kept her energized as she kept going.

She recharged slower, but GLaDOS couldn't stop now. Time was precious, and if she couldn't stop what was going on, she could at least delay it.

"Take that, you junk heap." She murmured, pressing enter as she sent information from her head to the computers. The monitors blinked a few times and she felt a power surge in the house's electricity, but she grinned as she sat back in the modified computer chair she built from an old arm chair that the humans were going to throw out. It kept the cords in place and helped her recharge. Everything about the attic was computerized and mechanical. It reminded GLaDOS of home, in the facility.

Some of the monitor feeds showed the various test subjects going about some tests that she set aside. She could still send commands through her remote access when she wasn't at her attic computer station, but she felt the need to see how well they did without her. GLaDOS stayed linked to her chassis, but felt something was trying to sever the link she had with the facility. "Oh, no you don't." she murmured, watching a few monitors flicker on and off.

"Ahh…there we go. Peace for another night…" GLaDOS murmured to the picture of Chell she had taped to the monitor next to her main monitor.

The room below the attic, Wheatley and Lil's room, was less peaceful. Lil seemed to drift into sleep easier, but Wheatley stayed awake. He stared at the ceiling, only glancing at the alarm clock every so often to see what time it was. Wheatley wasn't sure how Lil could drift into sleep so fast. Every night, after their nightly routine was done, she'd cuddle close to him (or as close as her pregnant belly would allow her) and almost instantly fall into a restful sleep. Even after GLaDOS and the Androids arrived and started making noise above them, she still found rest.

Tonight was quiet, but Wheatley still had trouble getting to sleep. He sighed softly and tried to drift off into sleep, but nothing happened. Not wanting to wake Lil, Wheatley slowly got up and left their bedroom. He knew if he woke Lil, she'd be worried. She always worried about him when he got up. Because even though he tried to hide it from her, she knew he was having the dreams again.

Dreams of his time before he was a core and when he was the Intelligence Dampening Sphere still haunted him and left him in a bad shape in the morning. Wheatley didn't want Lil to get concerned, so he kept his dreams to himself. Sometimes, he did wake up from a notably horrible dream that left him unable to get back to sleep, which was the case tonight. He often wondered if Lil had nightmares like his and what she did to relax afterward.

Putting on his glasses, Wheatley made his way out of the bedroom he shared with Lil and decided to check on the house. His first stop was Chelly's room. Her door was never closed all the way, just in case she needed to go potty in the middle of the night. Wheatley looked in on Chelly, surrounded by stuffed animals in her toddler bed. He smiled softly as she yawned a little toddler yawn and shifted in her sleep. She was a restless sleeper, just like him. Wheatley smiled proudly and pressed his head against the door frame.

"Chelly, you're getting so big. I remember when you used to share a room with me and your mother. That basinet is in the garage along with your old crib, just waiting for the new baby. I wonder if you dream. That's silly, you probably do. 'Silly question, Daddy', you'd say." Wheatley chuckled. He tried to stay quiet so he didn't wake Chelly up.

Wheatley made his way toward Angie's room and slowly opened the door. Angie was a very rough sleeper. When she was in her pajamas was the only time Wheatley usually saw her with her hair down. Over the years, the two high pig tails that Angie used to wear proudly slowly turned into a mid-high ponytail. Wheatley often thought it was amusing that she tried so hard to be adult, but he knew it was all for naught. Angie already had one leg off the bed and her covers where completely bundled up at the end. Though she kept saying she didn't care for stuffed animals anymore (most of the ones that survived the apartment attack were given to Chelly), Angie still kept a few around.

Angie had a bunk bed set in her room, when she outgrew her old bed and it was given to Chelly. Angie requested it after Lil revealed they were moving and Chelly was getting most of Angie's old furniture (most of which somehow survived the apartment incident three years before). Bunk beds made it easier for Angie to have sleepovers or for the family to have guests over. One such guest, P-Body, laid down straight in sleep mode as she recharged on the top bunch. Wheatley figured the Androids didn't move much during their "sleep". In the time he had been standing in the doorway, Angie had rolled over three times and P-Body was still motionless.

While he enjoyed having the Androids around again, he couldn't shake the sense that something wasn't right. In the week they had been there, GLaDOS and the Cooperative Testing Initiative had little trouble earning their place among the family. GLaDOS, for her part, stayed out of the way. Something Lil was happy about. While she was happy that GLaDOS could make it where she didn't pay as much on the electric or water bills, having the super computer that tried to take over her body around (and in a better looking body) still didn't sit too well with Lil. Wheatley was still equally uncomfortable, but he tried to ignore it.

He couldn't ignore, however, when she didn't respect his authority in his own home. Wheatley ignored the "Moron" nickname and the fat jokes hurled at Lil (who insisted constantly that she was not fat, just five months pregnant), but it was starting to wear at him. Wheatley also couldn't ignore telling the girls to do one thing and then GLaDOS telling them to do another. He couldn't stand that they listened to her more often than him. But tonight, Wheatley was enjoying the quiet.

Wheatley made his way downstairs and to the kitchen, where he started preparing himself a cup of tea. He knew the tea wouldn't help his sleep problem, but he needed to relax a bit. As Wheatley prepared his tea, he looked up and noticed it had started raining outside. The last of the summer storms was falling outside and the soft thunder seemed to give him a soft chill. The time on the microwave told him it was just after two a.m.

Sighing loudly, Wheatley took his tea and sat at the kitchen table. "If Lil knew I was still having these dreams, she'd have a fit. I don't want her worrying about something she can't control." Sipping his tea softly, Wheatley watched the shadows dance along the wall as the lightning accompanied the thunder. Wheatley closed his eyes and sighed softly, letting his thoughts drift.

_The sounds of panic and rushed footsteps surrounded the poor confused metal ball on the rail. No one was listening to Wheatley, though that wasn't unusual. What he thought was unusual was that Mr. Harvey, his handler, hadn't come to check on him today. He usually came to check on Wheatley around this time (his internal clock said 12:34pm) and now Wheatley was starting to worry. He didn't understand why all the alarms were going off or why the scientists working in the Extended Relaxation wing were running away screaming toward the emergency exits, all Wheatley was worried about was finding Mr. Harvey._

"_Excuse me, panicking scientist! Have you seen Mr. Harvey? It's time for our daily check-in! He's late, very, very, late and I wanted to…" the screaming scientist didn't stop to acknowledge the metal ball following him. "Alright, you're busy, I'll ask someone else."_

_Wheatley happily sailed along his rail, leaving the Extended Relaxation wing and surfing along the hallways. The alarms were louder in the labs and he noticed a weird yellowish-green fog coming from some of the vents. "Well, that's odd. They must be cleaning the vents again. Usually the mist coming from the vents is a nice pink color." He murmured softly as he came to Mr. Harvey's office. "Mr. Harvey! I know you told me not to come to your office without permission, but…" Wheatley zipped inside and looked around the bare office. Papers and other things were strewn about, as if someone had gotten up in a hurry. "Mr. Harvey?" he shouted._

_Hearing someone come into the office, Wheatley turned around suddenly. "Oh, hello there! I'm looking for Mr. Harvey. Have you seen him at all? Tall guy, has a beard, nice lab coat...I'm sure you've seen him. He's a right friendly guy and everyone likes him. Have you seen him…at all?" Wheatley wiggled his handles and shook his optic. The scientist screamed and ran away as another announcement rang over the loud speaker. Wheatley couldn't make out the announcement through the alarms and panicked screams._

"_Well, that was rude! You'd think someone would stop to help me!" Wheatley murmured, looking around the office. "Can't get distracted! I've got to find Mr. Harvey. Maybe he can make sense of what's going on. Because no one else here seems to see how important it is that I find Mr. Harvey. He's never late for our check-ins. Well, except that one time…" Wheatley rambled on to himself as he zipped along the management rail, not acknowledging the panic and chaos going on underneath him as the humans ran for their very lives._

Wheatley's eyes shot open when he heard footsteps behind him. His memories and dreams seemed to be colliding with one another into some kind of scrambled mess again. The sound of the wind blowing outside along with the rain hitting the side of the house seemed to compliment the eerie feeling he was getting. From the shadow the lightning gave off along the wall, Wheatley knew it wasn't Lil behind him. "So, you can't sleep either?" he asked, picking up his now cold tea.

"I have no need for sleep. My power reserves aren't depleted yet, so I decided to come downstairs after my sensors told me someone was in the kitchen. I know you humans like to stuff your faces, but I didn't think you'd go as far as to interrupt your own sleep patterns to do so." GLaDOS sashayed toward the table and sat down in the chair Dr. Rattmann usually sat in. She placed her purse on the table top and stared at Wheatley. "The caffeine in that substance you call 'tea' won't help you get back to sleep. According to my readings, it will actually have to opposite effect at those levels."

Glaring at GLaDOS, Wheatley was about to say something but decided against it. He was too tired to think of a response anyway. After finishing his tea, Wheatley walked over to the sink and placed the cup down. "They often say that dreams are a window to another world." GLaDOS chimed in. "The assumption that there exists another world in your mind is ridiculous, but research has shown that dreams can often reflect what's going on in one's life. Are you and the Older One having…marital problems?" GLaDOS leaned against her arms and made her eyebrows wiggle.

"Lil and I are not having marital problems. If we were, that'd be none of your business." Wheatley murmured, facing the Android sitting at the table. "If you must know, I'm having these odd dreams lately. Not usual dreams, but more like these instances of when I was a core. I haven't told Lil because I don't want her to worry. I've been having them for years, but it wasn't until recently that they starting coming non-stop. I think it might have something to do with you and those Androids being here."

"Don't blame us for your lack of sleep, Moron." GLaDOS snapped. Sighing, Wheatley started to leave the kitchen. "May I give you some advice?" GLaDOS asked, not moving from her spot. Shrugging, Wheatley turned around and sat back down. "You might want to find out what these dreams mean. If you've been having them for years and they are just not making their presence more prominent, it might mean something relating to the subject of the dreams is not far on the horizon. I might be able to help you analyze your dreams, if you like. I downloaded a few new applications into this body in the event I'd need a little extra help."

"And 'how to analyze dreams' was one of them?" Wheatley asked.

"You never know when you might need it." GLaDOS chuckled an automated chuckle and stood up, grabbing her purse. "I also have an application that allows me to stop a gas handle at exactly the amount you want it at and not a cent over." GLaDOS left the kitchen and started for the stairs again. "Consider the invitation open, but don't bother me too much. I'm quite busy nowadays." With that, GLaDOS started back upstairs.

Wheatley folded his arms and sighed. "What could she possibly be busy with? She stays upstairs most of the time." Rubbing his face, Wheatley stood up and went to the refrigerator. He took out an arm's full of food and started making himself a sandwich. In the middle of making his sandwich, he felt another presence behind him. "You can go back upstairs, I don't need a shrink." He muttered.

"You're making a sandwich at two in the morning." This wasn't GLaDOS, but Dr. Rattmann, who looked like he had been up for a while (and heard every word). "If you promise to give me half, I won't tell Lil."

Wheatley sighed with a chuckle and cut his snack in half. "It's obvious, isn't it?" he whispered. Dr. Rattmann, who was usually sound asleep because of the medication, nodded and sat down at the table as Wheatley brought the sandwich towards him. "Please, I don't want to stress Lil, what with her being pregnant and all."

Picking up the sandwich half in front of him, Dr. Rattmann waved the thought away. "I won't tell her. But I heard you talking to…_her…_" Dr. Rattmann grimaced a bit. "She's right about one thing: the odd onslaught of these dreams as of late is unusual. Maybe the stress of having her and the Androids under our roof is causing some deep seated memories to return."

Shaking his head, Wheatley ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe the stress brought them on, but it's always the same type of dream. It's of when I was a core. Happy little core, just sailing along my rail. But there is something, or someone rather, that is a constant. My handler…"

Dr. Rattmann shot up mid-bite through his half of the sandwich. He swallowed and sat back in his chair. "Your old handler…Jonathan Harvey, I think his name was. Nice man, I worked with him a few times. He was quite protective of you when you were a core."

"He was a big part of my life before and after I was a core. What happened to him?" Wheatley asked, as if looking desperate.

Dr. Rattmann shrugged. "Most of my memories before putting myself in that stasis bed are something of a blur. I can only hope he was one of the few that escaped." Dr. Rattmann finished his half of the sandwich, though Wheatley hadn't even started on his. "You can't let these dreams rule your life. Lil is a smart woman, and she's going to figure it out. Eventually, you either have to get them under control or find out what they mean."

Licking his fingers, Dr. Rattmann got up and made his way back to his den. Wheatley sighed as the basement door closed and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. Getting up and tossing his sandwich in the trash, Wheatley made his way back upstairs when a small whimper caught his attention. Chelly, holding her teddy bear, was making her way downstairs. She was rubbing her eyes and sniffling softly.

With a smile, Wheatley rushed over and picked up his daughter. "What's the matter, Chelly?" he whispered, taking his daughter upstairs with him.

"Bad dream…" she murmured, in her toddler speak. Chelly's vocal skills were still somewhat lacking, but she could make small words and the family was hoping she'd be able to form sentences by her third birthday. Holding her close, Wheatley sighed and made his way upstairs with Chelly and her teddy bear in his arms.

"…and you went to find me and I wasn't in bed, right?" he whispered, reaching the top step. Chelly nodded softly, burying her face in Wheatley's shoulder. "I'm sorry, love. Daddy's had a lot on his mind lately. Daddy's been having bad dreams, too. But let's not tell Mommy, alright?" he cooed, hugging Chelly close. Chelly nodded as Wheatley opened her bedroom door and placed her back in her bed. He had to bend down quite a bit and it hurt his back to do so, but he didn't seem to mind. After kissing Chelly on the forehead and tucking her in, Wheatley left her bedroom and made his way back to his.

He stopped for a moment and turned his head to the door that lead to the attic. He couldn't hear anything, but Wheatley knew GLaDOS was up to something up there. "She's not telling me something. I'd say that's unusual, but then again, this is a super computer who gets enjoyment from suffering. That and I am talking to myself…" After forcing himself from knocking on the attic door, Wheatley made his way back to his bedroom and closed the door slowly.

Luckily, Lil was still sound asleep. Wheatley crept back to his side of the bed and took off his glasses, placing them softly on his nightstand. Wheatley rubbed his eyes and tried to ignore the sounds above him in the attic. He slowly snuggled close to Lil and finally found sleep.

As the night went on and the storm got louder, Wheatley found himself struggling again. He hadn't had a night this restless in years, and it wasn't about to get better. "…Mr. Harvey, where are you taking me…?"

_Mr. Harvey looked somewhat panicked today. Wheatley wasn't sure why, as everyone kept saying today was a happy day. He thought he did pretty well, considering the last hour or so was a scrambled blur. He remembered being taken into the big room where the giant computer was and then static and screaming. _

_The next thing he knew he was being tossed back at Mr. Harvey as someone shouted, "He's as useless now as he was before! If anything, that waste of scrap made it worse!" Wheatley wasn't sure what that man was yelling about, but it probably had something to do with the people sitting down holding their arms and groaning. "Find somewhere to put him where he won't cause trouble!"_

_Now, Wheatley glided along the management rail just above Mr. Harvey. "…and the next thing I knew, I was being tossed around like a ball. It was jolly fun, but it made me dizzy. Why were all those other guys yelling? I thought I had an important job today. But I don't remember anything! When we got there, everyone was so happy! 'Oh, there he is! Plug him in and let's give it a go!' But then, after that weird scrambling, everyone was yelling and calling me useless. What did they mean, saying that I'm 'as useless now as I was before'?"_

_Mr. Harvey cleared his throat nervously. Last time Wheatley asked about a statement like that, the answer made him go haywire (literally) and he had to be repaired. Mr. Harvey couldn't afford that again. "It's nothing, Wheatley. They obviously don't see your greatness…" Mr. Harvey cleared his throat again. "Yeah, that's it…"_

_Of all the humans Wheatley encountered on a daily basis, Mr. Harvey was by far his favorite. Not just because he was Wheatley's handler, but because Mr. Harvey always made time for Wheatley. He always answered Wheatley's questions to the best of his ability and didn't sneer at him like everyone else did. As long as he had Mr. Harvey, Wheatley knew things were going to be okay. Mr. Harvey always let Wheatley come with him whenever he had an errand in another lab or anywhere else in the facility._

"_Don't worry, Wheatley; we'll find a place for you. I'll ask one of my buddies in the factory if there is an opening for a core. They usually have plenty zooming around there. If not, I know they always have openings in the Extended Relaxation wing. It's nothing exciting, but it should keep you occupied." Mr. Harvey smiled at Wheatley, who squinted his optic and handles at an attempt at a smile. "Until then, just stay clear of that big room we were just at, alright?"_

_Wheatley nodded. Wheatley always did exactly what Mr. Harvey said. Mr. Harvey was the only person that could get Wheatley to follow any form of simple instructions without him breaking anything. "Mr. Harvey, what do you want to do now?" Wheatley asked softly._

_Mr. Harvey sighed and looked up at the eager construct, just swinging gently. "It's about time for me to head home. Will you be able to get back to your receptacle by yourself?" Mr. Harvey asked softly._

"_Of course I can! I'm not some idiot, Mr. Harvey! We do this every day! I know where my receptacle is, and I know how to get there." Wheatley turned around and shook himself a bit. He turned left, then right, then back to Mr. Harvey, who hadn't left his spot. "…but just in case you forgot, why don't you come with me?" Wheatley squinted softly, as if to smile._

_Nodding happily, as if not even needing to be ask, Mr. Harvey walked with Wheatley to the room where the cores were stored when the office was closed._

Wheatley shot straight up as the thunder roared outside. "Wha…Wheaters?" Lil mumbled softly, sitting up to the best of her abilities. "Is everything alright?" Lil turned on her nightstand lamp and rubbed her eyes. Wheatley breathed deeply and looked around. He couldn't tell her. She'd worry. Stress was bad, and he promised he wouldn't stress her out. Wheatley cleared his throat and said nothing. He turned on his side and ignored Lil as she shook his shoulder.

Giving up, Lil turned her lamp off and promptly went back to sleep. Wheatley knew she'd find out eventually, but for the moment, he decided to keep these dreams to himself. He hated hiding things from Lil, but he decided he needed to figure these new dreams out for himself. Wheatley turned over and put his arm around Lil. "It's nothing, love." He said finally. Lil smiled and turned over to face him. Getting as close as she could, Lil snuggled close and fell asleep happily next to Wheatley.

* * *

Back in her attic, GLaDOS plugged herself into her chair (which she rigged to recharge her) and sighed softly. She closed her eyes softly and was about to drift into "sleep mode" when a sound came from over the speakers on one of her monitors. She opened one eye and looked around. It wasn't coming from the fetal monitor (the monitor she set up to monitor the child in Lil) and it sounded like something big had fallen over. "It never ends with you, does it?" she murmured, sitting up (and releasing herself from the charge port).

Her purse (the patent pending "Aperture Science Travel-Sized Trans-dimensional Storage Carrier, Ladies Edition in white suede") sat by her feet. GLaDOS let out an automated sigh and kept up her work. She couldn't stop, even though she had just gotten a warning in her mechanical mind that her power reserves were still somewhat depleted.

"If I can take care of this problem from here, I won't have to enlist the moron and the maniac's help. I refuse to put these humans in danger when I still might need them. You can't hide from me. I found the rat and I will find you, Junk Heap." GLaDOS murmured, taking the helm on the keyboard again.

Typing a simple command, GLaDOS moved the camera around and focused on a few areas near the Central A.I. Chamber. Though she was relieved her chamber was alright, something gnawed at her. All of a sudden, GLaDOS felt a sharp pain (or the equivalent of for an Android) and held her hand over her right eye. She groaned softly and blinked a few times. "Where…are…you…?" GLaDOS growled. "Stop messing with my access points, you walking pile of scrap!" she snarled, as if talking over a loud speaker.

GLaDOS received no response. Her cameras picked up nothing and as soon as sight in that eye returned, she sat back in her chair. "You're not doing anything of any significance." She whispered, after turning her remote speaker off. "You're messing with me. I knew it. I programed you to be like the moron and it shows. If you were capable of doing any damage, you would have done so by now." GLaDOS folded her arms and sat back in her chair. "Just you wait until I establish a feed to you, Junk Heap." She growled and slammed her fists on the keyboard, making the monitors shake. "I will find you, Junk Heap!"

Deciding it was best to call it a night, GLaDOS settled herself back into her chair and decided to recharge. As she was gearing down, the monitor started to become snowy. GLaDOS shot back up and took a closer look. A hand grabbed the camera and started yanking it. GLaDOS shot back and typed rapidly. The feed from that camera was gone, and she only got slight shadows of whoever took it down.

GLaDOS sighed and decided to leave it alone. He was playing with her, trying to make her placid. GLaDOS knew this and decided to use this to her advantage.

* * *

**N'cha, my loves!**

**First and foremost, apologies and explanations. This took a long time for one big reason: My computer contracted a nasty virus and some of my work was lost. A good amount of it was recovered, but I lost a lot of notes and such.**

**Be warned of a virus that makes your screen go blank and then turns on your webcam automatically. It will threaten you with bogus charges and a fine that can be conveniently paid right there on the spot with a special type of pre-pay debit card you can get at any convenience store. It's a scam, a horrible virus, and I had to get my friend to almost completely wipe my computer. Luckily, I had most of my worked backed up. If you ever get a virus like that, turn off your computer and seek advice from a computer tech or anyone good with computers. If it sounds illegal, it probably is. The police will NEVER go directly through your computer. Be warned. It can cause irreparable damage to your computer and it's hard to get out.**

**So, how about this election? Crazy stuff, am I right?**

**Okay, well, awkwardness aside, I want to thank you all for your patience and your support. Please, let me know how I'm doing so I can keep going. And again, thank you for your patience. **

**Expect more frequent updates with this and my other fics now that the problem is resolved.**

**So, read, review, and be merry, my doves!**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, Dr. Rattmann, ATLAS, and P-Body belong to Valve.**


	4. Grandma Knows Best

_One Big Aperture Family_

Grandma Knows Best

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function_

_Initiating Log Program_

_Begin When Ready…_

_Dreams. My dictionary function describes them as a hallucinatory experience that occurs during sleep. It seems that dreams play a large role the at least one member of this family. The former idiot sphere seems to be having dreams of a disturbing nature and can't seem to function properly because of sleep loss. A few weeks ago, I found him up and about at night after having one of these dreams. Whether or not he has told his wife, Subject Lil, is unknown at this point. While his notions of not worrying or stressing her are noble, it might put a rift between the two. That might be interesting to watch._

_The small one, Subject Angie, started school not too long ago. At her age, I predict she is in the 3__rd__ grade. Her birthday was a week or so ago. The family took her somewhere in the morning and that afternoon, they returned tired, disheveled, and the children were asleep. I stayed at home, seeing as they don't believe I can handle being outside on my own. While I enjoy watching their television programs and rearranging things to my liking, I did not enjoy the list of chores Subject Lil gave me to do while they were out. Blue and Orange were more than happy to do them for me, after I made them._

_Subject Angie seemed upset that the Cooperative Testing Initiative and I didn't come along. Subject Lil said she didn't think it'd be safe for me to leave the house just yet. I don't appreciate being treated like an invalid, and when I brought this up to the older one, she seemed to smile in a snide tone and tell me, "But you're supposed to be the Grandma, remember? Most grandmothers are old and feeble, and stay inside and knit and watch trashy soap operas all day…"_

_Well, if watching those pointless television programs has taught me anything, it's that I don't have to take this. I am a highly advanced super machine and if the Androids that I built get to go with them to the grocery store or around the corner, than so should I. I think it's time for Grandma to step out._

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function_

"ANGELA JILLIAN MCLAIN! I'm not going to warn you again! It's time for school!" Lil shouted from downstairs. As she finished yelling, the sounds of running could be heard on the hardwood floors. GLaDOS sat up in her chair and decided it was time to grace the family with her presence. Picking up her purse and straightening herself out, GLaDOS started to leave her attic.

As she left her attic, GLaDOS almost ran into Angie, fully dressed in her uniform and ready to start the day. "Good morning, Grandma!" she shouted excitedly. Her uniform stayed mostly unchanged (navy blue jumper with the school's crest on the left shoulder, white undershirt, white socks, and black Mary Jane shoes), but she obviously looked like she was starting to outgrow it.

"Good morning, Small One." GLaDOS murmured, closing the attic door tightly. Despite Angie's usually overeager attitude about school, lately she looked like she was dreading it. "What troubles you today? You usually enjoy going to this learning establishment."

Angie sighed and said nothing, trying her hardest to hide her nervousness about school. "We…have a test today, and I didn't study." She blurted out.

"Not possible. It's only been two weeks since school started. So far, you've had a week of orientation and a week of learning. It'd be pointless for them to start testing you already. You haven't had sufficient time to learn anything worth testing. Besides, it's only Wednesday. Most schools traditionally have tests on Friday. Makes the weekend more depressing for the failing students and their parents." GLaDOS proudly folded her arms and secretly went over test footage in her head while Angie slinked downstairs. "Testing is my specialty, I would know. Even so, no 'Granddaughter' of mine will fail a test. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Arriving downstairs, GLaDOS sat like a queen on a throne in Wheatley's chair as Angie ran toward the kitchen. She was starting to enjoy this chair, not because it was comfortable (by the look on Wheatley's face whenever he sat down, she assumed it was), but because it got on Wheatley's nerves whenever she sat there. GLaDOS felt this throne was worthy of keeping her systems relaxed. She sat back and closed her eyes, letting her systems rest up a little more before beginning her day.

As the Androids busied themselves with chores, Lil finished making breakfast. She placed a piece of toast in Angie's spot and took up Wheatley's empty plate as he read the paper. Chelly sat in her high chair, playing spoon and bowl drums as Angie started eating her toast. "Angie, don't forget to empty out your school bag before you go to school. I don't want to hear you whining because you can't tell your homework from a rolled up paper towel again!"

Rolling her eyes, Angie walked over to the chair she kept her school bag on and started taking out papers. An envelope drifted away from the pile forming on the chair and made its way to Wheatley's foot. Chelly noticed it first and made small whining noises as she reached for it. Wheatley put down his paper and looked down, finding the envelope. "What's this?" he asked as Lil poured him some more coffee. Wheatley picked up the envelope and opened it slowly. He read the letter inside carefully.

_To the Guardians of Angela McLain,_

_We seem to be having problems with little Angela regarding her work ethic and attitude. During group study, she tends to study alone and won't participate in group activities. Angela also tends to be a bit condescending to the other students and on a few occasions, to the instructors as well. As of late, she's been speaking of family matters. I understand that some family has recently come to stay with you. Angela claims that her grandmother is a highly advanced robot, as are her "Uncle Atlas and Aunt Peabody". I understand children have active imaginations, but I believe this type of make-believe borderlines on some type of dissociative disorder which leads me to believe there are problems at home._

_I would like to meet with you to discuss this matter and hopefully figure out a solution to this problem before it persists into adulthood._

_~Miss Carrington_

Lil took the letter and read it over. "Angie, why didn't you tell me you were having problems in school?" Lil asked as she finished pouring Wheatley his coffee.

"I'm not having problems in school! Miss Carrington keeps singling me out!" Angie shouted as she started eating her breakfast. "She doesn't like that I can do the problems faster than the other students and she doesn't want to admit I should be in more advanced classes!"

When she heard Angie shout that last statement, GLaDOS opened one eye and pretended to not be listening as the humans finished their breakfast. "Advanced classes?" she murmured softly as Angie finished her breakfast and walked into the living room, plopping herself on the couch with Chelly.

Wheatley looked over the letter numerous times. "Well, it might explain all the acting out she's been doing." Lil sighed, placing her hand on her hip. Wheatley sipped his coffee again and read each line, as if trying to find some deeper meaning to the letter. Under the original correspondence was something else worth reading. "What do you think she means by dissociative disorder?" Lil shook her head and went back to making breakfast as Dr. Rattmann emerged from his den. Wheatley handed Dr. Rattmann the letter, who read it and cocked and eyebrow.

"They didn't even bother to spell the Androids' names right." Dr. Rattmann chuckled as Lil placed a coffee mug in front of him (along with his morning medication). Lil started washing some dishes as Dr. Rattmann analyzed the letter. "In not so many words, she's basically saying our weird family situation might be taking its toll on Angie. She thinks the stress, if any exists, is interfering with Angie's school work."

Lil, looking almost offended, turned around sharply. "You know, this has been going on since our parents died. People automatically thought I couldn't handle raising Angie alone and they always singled us out. They used to looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I was her primary caregiver at eighteen and no one at that stupid parent teacher association ever took what I had to say seriously! Do you know how many times they tried to have Angie taken away from me because of some bogus mistreatment complaints? I don't know why I send her to that school. They can rot for all I care." Lil went back to washing the dishes, even though she had already washed the same plate three times.

Dr. Rattmann took his medication and gulped down his coffee. Wheatley stared at the letter again. "She's requesting a meeting after school today. In fact, according to this little number at the bottom, we were supposed to get this letter last week. I think it's just been sitting in her school bag since then. Not very punctual, is she? " Wheatley murmured as he reread the letter and folded it back up.

"I don't know if we'll be able to make it. We have so much to do today, Wheaters. Dr. Rattmann, could you meet with Angie's teacher today?" Lil asked softly.

"I'll see if I can. I have a few short errands to run in the city anyway." Dr. Rattmann got up and went back to his den to get ready.

Lil looked at the stove clock and then looked around for Angie. The private school didn't have buses (why, Lil didn't know). While they weren't running late, Lil still didn't like being stuck in school traffic. Walking into the living room, Lil found Angie and Chelly with GLaDOS on the family computer, which sat in a small nook near the front door. Chelly was on GLaDOS's lap while Angie was standing next to her. Lil couldn't tell what they were doing, but if it had to do with the family computer, it probably wasn't good.

"…now, hit the enter key, Small One." GLaDOS continued. As Angie did so, the screen went black and entered into what could be described as "The Matrix" in Lil's mind. Chelly clapped and giggled a happy toddler giggle as GLaDOS finished her lesson. Angie looked on in amazement. "…and that, little ones, is how you take down a complex government agency's computer network in under three minutes. Now, how about I show you how to take down a small country with just a few simple commands and a fake social network account?"

Lil, letting her presence be known with a frustrated sigh, tapped her foot and glared at the computer. "Please don't teach the girls how to commit felonies. I'm having enough problems as it is." Lil ushered Angie toward the kitchen to get her school bag and picked up Chelly.

"I'm teaching them skills they can use. I don't know what they're teaching the Small One at that school you make her go to, but it's obviously not what she needs to know. She's nine-years-old and she doesn't even know how to hack into a highly secure government computer grid. She should know this stuff by now." GLaDOS folded her arms and looked at Lil with disapproval.

Already fuming, Lil sighed. "For your information, Angie goes to a private school and gets a very good education." Lil started walking away, with Chelly on her hip. "…at least she better be for all the money I pay in tuition each year." Lil murmured.

"The Small One goes to a private school?" GLaDOS asked softly.

Lil sighed and didn't face GLaDOS. "Yes, she started attending this place not long after our parents died. It provides a shuttle service kind of like public school buses but I think that's overkill. Besides, the tuition is more expensive if we sign up for that. The city bus stops here, but I don't think she's old enough to ride that alone." Lil murmured sadly. The look on her face made GLaDOS believe Lil was trying to convince herself. "She gets a better education here and it's safer than the public schools." Lil finally started to walk away.

While she didn't know if what Lil just said was true, considering the notice they read earlier, GLaDOS dove deep into her files and tried to pull up any information about the school from the wireless internet connection she established in her head. She found the school's website quite boring and sighed as she returned to what was going on. "I'm sure there are public schools around here that are just fine. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's the best option." GLaDOS murmured.

GLaDOS tapped her index finger on her arm, slowly processing her next course of action in her head. As she thought about what to do, the Androids happily meandered past her and stood by the front door. They made it a habit to say good-bye to Angie as she left for school each day. GLaDOS watched her highly advanced Androids sit by the door like dogs waiting for Angie.

Instead of Angie, Dr. Rattmann smiled and made his way toward them with his cane. "I'm going to run some errands for the family, do you two want to come?" he asked, coughing softly. GLaDOS focused her line of sight on Dr. Rattmann. Her scans of him showed he was indeed getting on in years and his health could be better. She scanned his bad leg and noted the turret injury and the damage it had done to his muscle and his bone. She added these things to the internal file she kept of him.

"I would like to accompany you when you go, Maniac." GLaDOS murmured, stepping up to her Androids. Dr. Rattmann looked like he was taken aback. "Being outside could be beneficial. I would be remiss if I passed up a chance to see and study more of this city you humans seem to love so much. All I know of the city is what the Cooperative Testing Initiative has told me and the road leading to the fields outside of the city."

Dr. Rattmann cocked an eyebrow. "Why would you want to come with me?" Dr. Rattmann was pretty sure his hearing was starting to go, but knew he heard her. "I had the impression that you didn't like being around me, or a large group of humans. I don't think your 'advanced robotic mind' would find anything about this excursion amusing. Besides, it might not be a good idea for you or the Androids to leave the house just yet. You barely hide the fact that you're a _Maschinenmensch_."

At this point, Angie walked up with Chelly and had heard Dr. Rattmann's statement. Looking somewhat offended, GLaDOS pretended to huff a bit (having no need to breath, the act was pretty ludicrous) and kept her purse close by. Angie may have only been a little girl, but she could sense the anger coming from GLaDOS. The tension could be cut with a knife as GLaDOS and Dr. Rattmann stared each other down. Old habits tended to die hard with GLaDOS, and she decided to log this in her mind for later use, along with a few other things.

"What's a 'machine-in-inch'?" Angie finally asked, hoping to disperse the ferocity in the air between her 'grandparents'. ATLAS chattered his response. Angie nodded, pretending to understand him. P-Body also chattered a response as well, though this response seemed to upset GLaDOS a bit.

"A _Maschinenmensch _is a term meaning 'machine-human' or literally 'machine-man'." GLaDOS placed her hands on her hips. "It means your 'grandfather' sees me as a very delicate, but faceless, transparent figure made of crystal flesh with silver bones with eyes filled with an expression of calm madness."

Dr. Rattmann made a motion with his hand, indicating she hit the nail on the head, particularly the last part. "Though, by the looks of you, crystal flesh and silver bones would be inaccurate, considering you're obviously made from highly advanced metals and synthetic parts. But the metaphor still stands."

GLaDOS chuckled and made a mock embarrassed face. "Awww, you think I'm delicate. That's so sweet. You make my lubricants warm up."

After shivering a bit, Dr. Rattmann sighed. "If you promise not to say that ever again, you can come. I have an errand to run before then, but I'll be back before too long and we can go."

GLaDOS smiled and started for the door. "I promise nothing. You should know that by now." Dr. Rattmann fumbled around for his keys in his coat pocket and finally left.

Waving good-bye as the family left, ATLAS and P-Body smiled wide, with P-Body holding a list of chores Lil gave her. GLaDOS sat in the chair again and sighed. "You two, get over here. We have something of importance to discuss." She murmured. Looking at each other, the Androids rushed over to their boss and sat on the couch. "I know you two enjoy playing 'Maid and Butler' to the humans, but we have a situation at the facility that must be addressed soon. Come…"

Following their boss to the attic, the Androids looked at each other, somewhat worried. "The situation grows dire, but nothing the security system can't handle. But as you know, even that won't last forever." GLaDOS opened the attic door and sat down in her specialized chair. She typed a few commands into the keyboard and connected herself via a cable to the system. After the log-in screen and the initial boot up, GLaDOS was now connected directly to Aperture.

"You see what he's doing." GLaDOS murmured, typing in a few commands and displaying the security feed. "As you know, I'm still remotely accessing the facility, so he can't take power. But as I am not physically there to prevent him, that Junk Heap grows more powerful each time I log in. I've been keeping a close eye on everything, but I hesitate to think of what could happen if…"

All of a sudden, a horrible static-like screeching sound filled the attic and the house. Since GLaDOS was directly linked to the system, it hurt her the most. "There he goes again. He's trying to hack me out of my own systems and disconnect me from my chassis. He's been at it for hours, so I assume he'll be powering down shortly to build up his reserves again. I don't think I anticipated this when I programed him years ago. His awareness grows with each day, and he knows we're gone."

P-Body chattered something, to which GLaDOS dismissed.

"No, as far as he knows, the humans we live with aren't here. He doesn't know about them. It is the most we can do to keep them safe. It demeans me for saying this, but I believe I programed him too well." GLaDOS disconnected herself and stood up, holding her purse tightly. "If he knows where they are, he will take drastic measures. He doesn't just want the facility…"

As they left the attic, GLaDOS stopped P-Body for a moment. "Orange, I designed you to be a female, I wish for your input." GLaDOS pulled P-Body to the side as ATLAS went to start their chores. "Do you believe the maniac is right about me being..." GLaDOS looked like she didn't she wanted to say it. "…a ___Maschinenmensch_?" 

P-Body shrugged and in her own language asked why GLaDOS cared.

"I don't care…" she murmured, folding her arms. "…just…do those chores before the fat older one gets home and yells at me for being lazy." GLaDOS walked away, leaving P-Body pondering. GLaDOS grumbled to herself and went back to sitting in Wheatley's chair. She indeed looked the part of Grandma, and her depleting reserves made her feel like it. "Grandma _Machinenmensch_…" she murmured, making herself comfortable again.

_Meanwhile, in the city_

Lil tapped her fingers to the tune on the radio. Her seat farther back because of her pregnant belly, Lil looked like she was having trouble adjusting to the distance. She wondered if this is how Wheatley felt during those rare moments she let him drive. She had been at this stop light for only a minute and already she wanted to ram her Jeep into the car in front. It wasn't the traffic that seemed to be weighing on her mind, though. Wheatley sat in the passenger seat, reading an ad for a new car dealership that had just opened up. Chelly sat in her car seat behind the passenger seat, humming softly and playing with her sippy-cup.

The family only had one car, which was Lil's big yellow Jeep. Today, Wheatley would attempt (once again), to convince Lil that they needed a bigger car. If television taught him anything (and it was a pretty good teacher as far as learning human behavior went), it was that a nicely sized van or other type of SUV would benefit their growing family just nice.

Lil waved his idea away too often. As long as they didn't have any more children (a thought Wheatley seemed terrified at, seeing as he loved children), Lil reasoned the Jeep would be fine. She did most of the driving for the family. Despite Wheatley having a license, Lil still didn't trust him behind the wheel of her Jeep. "You know, love, these minivans seem to be all the rage lately. Affordable, good on gas, roomy, and look at all the color options they have."

"Do they have yellow?" Lil asked, as the light turned green.

Wheatley flipped through the ad again and shook his head. "No, but they have a nice blue color. I like blue. The family in the advert looks pretty happy." Wheatley pointed to the ad as Lil glanced over momentarily. She sighed and turned down a different street. "The bloke in the ugly shirt needs to tone down the smile a bit, but otherwise, happy minivan family." Wheatley sang.

Chelly wiggled her feet happily and smacked the sippy-cup against the door a few times. "Chelly, don't do that." Lil exclaimed, peering at Chelly through the rearview mirror. "There is nothing wrong with the Jeep. It's got four doors and as long as we don't have everyone in at once, it's fine."

Flipping to another page, Wheatley raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But this one…" Wheatley held the magazine at Lil, who only glanced at it momentarily. "…this one has 'optional third row seating', which according to this is perfect for growing families. Our family is growing, right?"

"Whether we like it or not, apparently." Lil murmured, thinking about GLaDOS and the Androids. Wheatley closed the magazine and looked at Lil again, who sighed solemnly.

"Love, is something wrong?" Wheatley asked, placing the magazine in the back seat. Chelly took up the magazine immediately and pretended to read it. After she was done doing that, she decided it would make a good hat and started ripping a few of the pages out, placing them on her head. Her parents didn't seem to notice.

"I was talking to GLaDOS this morning…" Lil murmured. Wheatley looked genuinely surprised. "...well, I yelled at her for teaching the girls how to hack sophisticated computer networks from our P.C." That sounded believable and Wheatley nodded along. "I told her Angie goes to a private school because the education is better. But after getting that note, I wonder if it actually is. It sounds like they don't appreciate her intellect. I mean, Angie is terribly smart for a kid her age, and it shows. I think the real reason I put Angie in a private school was because I was scared something bad might happen to her."

Wheatley watched Lil as she sighed and looked around, realizing her daydreaming had made her go too far. "Well, I'm sure she's just going through a phase or something. On the telly, they have all these shows about teenagers and their problems, though they seem to whine a lot for children in such nice places."

"Angie is a few years off from being a teenager, but girls do start developing earlier than boys. I know I did." Lil blushed as she turned down another road. "I guess I put Angie in that school to protect myself more than to protect her. Maybe I should look into putting her in a public school now. Most of the neighborhood kids go to a public school, and I've seen it. It looks pretty clean and the teachers I see in the parking lot helping kids off the bus look friendly. I bet the parents in the PTA are less snobby, too."

Noticing they were taking the long way to their destination, Wheatley looked out the window curiously. "I don't see the harm in that, love. Think of the money we'll save from not having to pay tuition. We won't have to wake up earlier to drive her to school because that big yellow bus runs right past our house, and she'll make a lot of friends that live close by. I'd like to make friends with Dads where I don't have to pretend I like golf."

Lil sighed and realized that more was changing than she felt comfortable with. Change was something Lil had dealt with before, but compared to all the changes that had happened in the course of her life, these changes were pretty small. She sighed and looked at a sign. "Do you feel comfortable driving the Jeep home, Wheaters?" Lil asked, pulling into the new car dealership that just opened up.

_Later that day_

Dr. Rattmann, having finished with his errands early, finally came home and got GLaDOS for the meeting with Angie's teacher. The city bus ride was unpleasant and GLaDOS complained most of the way, but Dr. Rattmann took it in stride. She still held herself regally and kept her purse close, eying the young man in the electronics store uniform residing in the seat next to her. When he looked over and smiled with a nod, GLaDOS gave him a nasty look and kept her purse closer.

"Don't be frightened. People use the city bus to get to work. He means you no harm." Dr. Rattmann whispered as the young man got off the bus with a confused look.

"He could very well be looking for a reason to swipe my bag. Besides, he has 'high school drop-out' written all over him. Statistically speaking, he would be the very candidate for stealing." GLaDOS whispered loudly.

Sighing, Dr. Rattmann tried to ignore that statement. "Electronics retailers usually hire highly qualified individuals to work their stores. You two might have actually gotten along well, considering you're…"

"If you call me a ___Maschinenmensch_ one more time, you're going to regret it." GLaDOS murmured, glaring angrily at the unwanted attention their conversation was getting.

After a little while, they finally came to their stop. Most of the bus patrons were happy that they had left and everyone sighed in relief once the bus had left. Dr. Rattmann led the way into Angie's school, his cane in step with theirs. "Alright, just let me do all the talking. These private school teachers are piranhas and they can smell fear and uncertainty. It's how they trap you into thinking that you're a bad parent and you should pay more in tuition."

GLaDOS seemed to appreciate the evil genius behind that plan, but felt the school was cold and unfeeling. It reminded her of her facility and it made her a little homesick. When she expected the hallways to be lined with childish drawings and meaningless accomplishments made by the children, GLaDOS discovered she'd get no such satisfaction. "This facility is what the fat older one is paying for? If she wants a place that's cold and unfeeling for the small one, she might as well let me teach her at the facility." GLaDOS actually liked that idea and thought about the best way to propose the idea to Lil.

Dr. Rattmann shook his head and looked around. "Alright, Miss Carrington's room should be around here." They found the room and GLaDOS peered in through the small window. The only child left in the classroom was Angie, who was sitting at her desk, doing nothing. GLaDOS used her sophisticated hearing abilities and listened to the teacher berate Angie on an assignment. The teacher apparently didn't like being shown up by a child and her disdain for having to deal with it showed.

GLaDOS already had a few choice words in her mechanical mind for Angie's teacher. If she and Dr. Rattmann hadn't arrived earlier than anticipated, GLaDOS wouldn't have seen the spectacle she was fuming over. The teacher looked like a lady who enjoyed seeing children tremble in fear. Normally, GLaDOS would have gotten along well with someone like that. But this wasn't about her. This was about Angie, her "granddaughter" and no one was about to treat her that way without GLaDOS having something to say about it.

Finally, the two were let into the room, where Angie sat at her desk, her head low. GLaDOS already didn't like this "Miss Carrington" person. "Are you Angela's guardians?" asked the teacher, inviting Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS to sit in front of her desk.

"We are her grandparents. Her sister is her primary caregiver, but she and her moron husband were busy, so here we are." GLaDOS chimed in before Dr. Rattmann could say anything. "I hope you are not here to waste our time, so let's get to the point."

Miss Carrington nodded and took out a book. "Well, my name is Amy Carrington and…"

"Your name is of little importance to us." GLaDOS chimed in again.

Somewhat taken aback, the teacher just stared at GLaDOS. Dr. Rattmann coughed softly and held his hand out for Miss Carrington to shake. "I'm sorry; she can be a bit impatient. I'm Dr. Douglas Rattmann and this is…" Dr. Rattmann thought for a moment as the teacher shook his hand. "…Gladys, she's…"

"GLaDOS...Johnson." GLaDOS made up that last name on the spot, but there was some sentimentality to it. Miss Carrington stared at the two with a confused look on her face. "Our names are different because we've been separated for a number of years and I took back my maiden name. We've recently started to reconcile." Dr. Rattmann cocked an eyebrow at GLaDOS, who looked like she was enjoying this way too much. Dr. Rattmann blushed and nodded in agreement, though reluctantly.

Clearing her throat, Miss Carrington flipped through her book and stopped at a page. "Right…that's very nice." Miss Carrington wrote something down and then looked back at the two. "Her older sister, Lillian, and her husband are her legal guardians, then?"

"I don't know what part of my previous statement you missed, but yes, they are." GLaDOS sat straight, her purse in her lap. "In case you missed the second part, they were busy so they sent us instead. We are very capable of looking after Angela when they aren't around. Now, why are you wasting our time asking questions? What is the problem you are having with the Small One?" GLaDOS might as well have been wearing a sign that said in big bold print, "I AM A HIGHLY ADVANCED ROBOT" because she sounded more mechanical than usual in her speaking.

Clearing her throat again, Miss Carrington looked blankly at Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS. "Well, the problem with Angela is that her work ethic is somewhat…lacking. Academically, she's doing quite well. In fact, she's the smartest child in my class. But for some reason, she prefers to work alone. Another thing I wish to…"

"What is wrong with that?" asked GLaDOS. Miss Carrington stopped what she was doing and looked at GLaDOS. "You said it yourself: She's the smartest in the class. Shouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Well, normally, yes. But you see Mrs. Rat-…umm, Miss Johnson, I feel that she tends to, shall we say, flaunt it." Miss Carrington flipped a page in her notebook slowly. Angie, still at her desk, was doodling in her notebook, trying not to laugh at the spectacle GLaDOS was making. "I would say she's ready for the advanced classes, but…"

"But what?" GLaDOS folded her arms, though her purse stayed on her lap.

Miss Carrington closed her book. "Listen, I'm sure Angela is a good child. And I bet you think she's the most wonderful child in the world. But let's face the facts here: A child like Angela might be ready for the advanced classes, but socially, I think she's not up to speed with her classmates. In the past few weeks, I've observed that she only has a few friends and recently I found her with this under her math book." Miss Carrington took out a comic book and placed it on her desk. "We prohibit stuff like this, so I assume she got it at that bookstore she claims her sister owns."

"Lillian does own a bookstore. Two of them, actually. The second location specializes in comic books and specialty items. I've seen the sale figures." GLaDOS was actually looking at them in her head. "That store is doing better than the first one."

With a huff, Miss Carrington gave the comic book to Dr. Rattmann. "I just don't believe Angela is socially ready for advanced classes. I sometimes give the children a short theme to write about, and this is what she's turned in." Miss Carrington handed GLaDOS a stack of papers to read. She read the first one slowly.

_What I Did Over the Summer Break, by Angie McLain_

_During the summer, we took a trip to the beach. It was long and boring, but the beach was fun. My sister Lil is going to have a baby, so she couldn't wear a bikini. She hates wearing them anyway because she says they make her butt look big. She doesn't want to admit she has a big butt, so that's the excuse she uses. Her husband Wheatley liked the beach a lot. He had never been to a beach before and Lil thought it would be a good idea to take a drive there. He didn't like it much after he fell asleep on the beach blanket and woke up as red as a lobster with my niece, Chelly, dumping sand on his stomach. We ended our beach trip early. Wheatley couldn't move for two days without help. I sometimes wonder if he ever went to the beach in his former life. He still doesn't remember much about it, but Lil says what's important is how he lives now._

GLaDOS laughed softly and turned to another page, a more recent one.

_Life at Home, by Angie McLain_

_Recently, my Grandma, Uncle ATLAS and Aunt P-Body came to stay with us for a while. My grandma is in charge of a big science lab that has a lot of cool things in it. They seem to like it here. I don't think Grandma has ever left her lab before. She used to live on the ceiling of this big room and now she stays in our attic/guest room. She and Lil don't really get along well, but I think they're growing on each other. Grandpa didn't seem too happy at first, either. They don't like to talk about their former life together, but I think Grandma missed Grandpa more than she's willing to admit. Uncle ATLAS and Aunt P-Body showed me how to change the oil in Lil's Jeep. I forgot how handy they are. They used to live with us years ago when Wheatley first stayed with us. I missed them and Grandma a lot. I'm glad she's staying with us._

Something in GLaDOS twanged a bit when she read that last part. With a smile, GLaDOS looked at the last few pages, noting each said something similar. "I'm sorry, but how is this unacceptable?" GLaDOS asked, plopping the papers in front of the teacher. "It doesn't seem to be disrupting her work or bothering the other small humans, so I don't see why this meeting was called. If you are done wasting our time, we'll take Angela home and she'll see you in the morning."

GLaDOS started to stand and waved for Angie to join her. As Dr. Rattmann started to stand, Miss Carrington stopped them. "The fact that she believes you and her relatives are robots are what's bothersome to me. It is fine to have an imagination, but these illusions of grandeur must stop now. A growing girl must know the harshness of the world and the sooner she sees that her grandmother isn't some ridiculous super computer and her aunt and uncle aren't androids, the better. I see nothing but failure for Angela unless these stop now."

Dr. Rattmann didn't like the look GLaDOS was getting on her sophisticatedly designed face. "I guess I know where she gets these ideas. I bet that sister of hers put these ideas in her head as a coping mechanism for their confusing home life. Older married sister, no parents around, being an aunt at her age! I mean, the fact that you look like a machine and carry yourself like one probably explains a lot as well. Children in such households are bound towards failure in later life, and I would not be the least bit surprised if _someone_ doesn't say something and have her taken away…"

Turning around slowly, GLaDOS glared at the teacher with a fire in her eyes the likes no one had ever seen. Dr. Rattmann, looking a bit angry at the teacher's statement as well, scooted his chair back and told Angie to get behind him. He knew this wasn't going to end well. "Now, you've done it…" he murmured.

Miss Carrington already looked like she was regretting her statement as GLaDOS loomed over her, opening her purse…

_Later that night, at home_

"You did WHAT?" Lil shouted, gripping the mail in her hand tightly. The day had been pretty pleasant for Wheatley and Lil, but this news was something Lil couldn't comprehend.

"What about my statement did you not understand? The Small One no longer attends that learning facility and her problems with that particular 'instructor' are now over. You're welcome." GLaDOS stated calmly, with her arms folded as the Androids ran in and out of the house carrying groceries. "Your idea of a private setting being a better educational outlet for the Small One was indeed misguided. I wonder how she could have survived all that time before. Granted, her teachers were probably friendlier, but this teacher was obviously unfit to teach the Small One or any other child for that matter. So, after I…shall we say, 'dealt' with her, the headmaster excused us from the premises. Don't worry, though. You'll be refunded all the tuition you wasted on that place." GLaDOS started to walk away, an evil smile stretching across her sophisticated android face. "I made sure of that personally."

Lil couldn't find a way to be happy about what GLaDOS just told her. She couldn't even be happy about the new car she and Wheatley just came home with. A blue minivan, shiny and just-off-the-truck new, sat in their driveway next to the Jeep. While Angie and the Androids were outside admiring it with Dr. Rattmann and Wheatley, Lil put her hand on her pregnant belly and sat in Wheatley's chair, trying to relax. She was a firm believer that change is inevitable, as she had seen it all too often in her life.

On the positive side, Lil had an excuse to look into the public school the neighborhood kids went to.

In the weeks following, as Lil's belly got bigger and the new minivan serviced the family nicely, Wheatley noticed the eagerness Angie once had for school bounce right back as she happily put on her own clothes and anxiously waited for the school bus with the Androids waiting with her, to make sure she got on okay. He smiled and waved from the window as Angie boarded the school bus.

Lil had given all of Angie's old uniforms to one of the mothers she knew whose children went to the private school (After Wheatley talked her out of burning them). Angie seemed happier in the public school, which seemed to have a happier atmosphere than the private school, along with friendlier teachers. Where she was once held back by a spiteful teacher, Angie excelled and soon Lil would be getting calls from Angie's new teacher, saying she believed Angie was ready to skip ahead a grade. Lil decided to discuss that with Wheatley. As she watched GLaDOS and the Androids sit at the table and help Angie with her homework, Lil pondered whether or not her notions of GLaDOS were still warranted.

Making dinner, she heard Dr. Rattmann come up to GLaDOS at the table, holding a newspaper article about a missing private school teacher…

* * *

GLaDOS sat in her attic, typing away as the sound of a school bus departing gave her a sense of happiness. The facility had been oddly calm lately and though GLaDOS didn't like it, she decided to let it be. Her cameras were up and working again, most of them anyway and she kept a close eye on one feed in particular.

"So, the Small One doesn't do well on tests, you say? No granddaughter of mine fails tests. Let's just see how well you do…"

GLaDOS looked like a child playing with a brand new toy as the screams of one human in particular made her giggle with glee. "We could have been good friends…your punishment would have been less, shall we say, homicidal. Luckily for you, I'll erase your memory before returning you to your meaningless life. The memories will be gone, but trust me, the lessons will stay. As is life, they say." GLaDOS watched the feed eagerly, waiting to see what would happen next.

On another monitor, that GLaDOS wasn't paying attention to, a shadow loomed over another testing chamber. GLaDOS stopped her maniacal laughter for a moment when she thought she heard mumbling from one of the other feeds. She turned her attention to another monitor and typed slowly a command. The camera turned and changed angles, but she found nothing. "I think playtime might be over…" she murmured, going back to the other security feeds. She could have sworn she kept hearing the same phrase over and over again.

_**"...M****ine…it will all be mine…I'm the real one…"**_

* * *

**N'cha, my beloveds!**

**So, like I promised, more frequent postings, thanks to my awesome computer guy friend and all the help he gave me when my computer went nuts.**

**As one who went to a public school growing up, my only ideas of private schools are what I was told by friends who used to attend them. If anyone went to a private school and found this representation false, I sincerely apologize. I'm only going off what I've been told. Friends who have gone to private schools have often told me they are cold, unfeeling, and somewhat stuffy. Well, the private schools around here, anyway. In my neck of the woods, private schools are usually religious, but I decided not to incorporate that in the story. I'd rather not make anyone uncomfortable.**

**Anyone have good memories riding the buses home? Those can be a hoot, right?**

**Something's happening at the facility. Oh my, I wonder what it could be! Stay tuned to find out!**

**As always, thank you all for your patience and your reviews. I love them all! I love you all, of course! So, how did I do? Let me know and I'll see you guys next time! Same Luna Peachie time, same Luna Peachie place! **

**Read, review, and be merry! Always be merry, no matter what. I love you guys.**

**Wheatley, GLaDOS, ATLAS, P-Body, and Dr. Rattmann belong to Valve.**


	5. Saving Private Time

_One Big Aperture Family_

Saving Private Time

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function_

_Initiating Log Program_

_Begin When Ready…_

_As the days turn into weeks, the Older One is getting bigger. I check the monitor with the feed of her fetus and I have noticed the child grows as well. At this point, I estimate the child is about twenty-seven weeks along, and developing quite normally. I've begun a separate log of its daily functions. Most of the time, it's just wiggling around in its fluid home. As much as Subject Lil has been eating lately, I'm not surprised the child is getting so big at such a rate. Her favorite foods as of late are peanut-butter coated apples and pickles in vanilla ice cream topped with barbeque sauce._

_The food cravings are starting to get out of hand. The other night, I heard shuffling downstairs and went to investigate. The moron had sent the Cooperative Testing Initiative bots to the corner store for the above mentions items. I think they just like getting out of the house._

_For his part, the Moron seems to be coping well. They have an appointment coming up soon to discover the gender of their unborn child. I already know what it is. But I'm not telling…or maybe I will, just to get on his nerves._

_The Maniac, I must say, has been a big help to me. More than he knows. But when he called me a…oh, why do I have trouble logging that word? A "Maschinenmensch", as it were, I couldn't help but feel it wasn't out of sarcasm or strife. I think it might have been a not so well placed term of endearment. I think he's starting to grow on me._

_The Small One, Subject Angie, is excelling nicely in her new school. The Older One was mad at first but after several fine points, including that the money saved from not having to pay tuition can now go towards paying off the new minivan sooner, she quickly changed her tune. The Small One's new teacher wishes to speak with her older sister about advancing the child into a higher grade early because of her intellect. Of course, without my own brand of "meddling", as the Older One called it, Subject Angie would still be stuck at that private school with that teacher of hers. It is with some measure of pride that I can actually say most of this was my doing._

_On a side note, I released the teacher from the facility and erased her memory. It was difficult to get to and from the facility through my hand bag. If I didn't know any better, I'd say a certain mechanical someone has been trying to sever my link to the facility. He's failed, of course. But it is something to be mindful of._

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function_

The weekend was upon the Pendleton household. Friday night was a night of going out, seeing movies, and enjoying the city life. From the backyard, one could make out most of the city lights on a clear night. It was a beautiful sight and the family missed sitting outside on warm nights. Fall had come, and now was a time of great change for the Pendleton family.

Lil got bigger by the day and soon found it difficult to even do the simplest things. Luckily, the Androids were around to help out, but Lil often felt she was just in the way. Wheatley could sense this and decided that before the new baby came, he wanted to make his wife feel special.

The idea came to Wheatley when he found Lil tossing her clothes around, trying to find something that would fit. Her hormones were starting to get the best of her, and her mood swings kept everyone on their toes. He found her crying over her tight pants and after unsuccessfully trying to convince her he still thought she was beautiful, Wheatley decided he and Lil needed a night alone. While he knew it wouldn't be too difficult to get the Androids and the children out of the house, he knew he had a bit of a problem with GLaDOS.

It was bad enough that she lived above them in their attic, but GLaDOS had a tendency to show up when Wheatley and Lil didn't want her around. The other day, as Wheatley and Lil were getting comfortable on the couch while watching a movie, GLaDOS decided to come downstairs and join them. Wheatley would have taken it in stride if GLaDOS hadn't changed the channel.

Tonight was going to be different. Tonight was the fall carnival at Angie's new school and Lil was in no mood for any outdoor activities. She had already been gone most of the day on various errands and Wheatley had spent most of the afternoon preparing for this much needed private time.

When Wheatley heard Lil and the Androids return (they were often dispatched by him to help her out and GLaDOS decided to tag along), his sneaky grin grew. He was going to surprise her and he couldn't wait. Dr. Rattmann emerged from his den, dressed and ready to go. Wheatley turned to him, his grin wide. "You remember the plan for tonight?" he asked.

Dr. Rattmann nodded and sat down at the table. "After Lil relaxes a bit, I get Chelly and Angie out of the house for the night. I take them to dinner and then the fall carnival, spend a few hours there and be home no later than midnight." Dr. Rattmann had rehearsed the plan numerous times. Wheatley nodded and poured himself and Dr. Rattmann some soda. "I hope you know what you're doing. Lil has been quite irritable lately, and I don't want to come home to you getting one of your arms ripped off."

Wheatley waved Dr. Rattmann's worries away. "Don't worry, I have it all planned out. After you and the girls leave, I'll start getting everything ready. I'll set the mood with a nice relaxing foot rub, she goes absolutely crazy for those, tell her she's beautiful, maybe order us up some food, and then up to the bedroom for a little…" Wheatley blushed and stopped himself. Dr. Rattmann grinned with a cocked eyebrow. "Well, you're a doctor; I don't need to explain that last part to you, Mate."

"Not that kind of doctor, but I get what you're saying." Dr. Rattmann chuckled as he stood up. "I wish you luck tonight. You both need this. Things have been tense around here lately I'm surprised you haven't exploded. While I'll be playing skee-ball for Styrofoam filled prizes and eating cotton candy until I throw up, you'll be…relieving some stress."

"What are you talking about? Relieving stress?" Wheatley looked at Dr. Rattmann with confusion. "Come on, catch my hints! Lil and I will be…"

Dr. Rattmann shushed Wheatley as Angie and Chelly walked in, ready to go. Angie had on her favorite red dress with the yellow and red striped sleeves (having tights that matched it) and Chelly was dressed in a similar outfit, but without the striped sleeves or tights. "We're ready, Grandpa!" Angie shouted happily. "Are you and Lil coming, Wheatley?" Angie let go of Chelly's hand as Wheatley came closer. Chelly made the motion with her arms that made Wheatley know that she wanted to be carried.

"Uppies, Daddy!" Chelly shouted happily in her toddler speak. Wheatley smiled and picked up Chelly and hugged her tightly.

"No, we're not going. Your sister isn't feeling her best and just about anything sets her off. I think the less people that get punched in the face tonight, the better." Wheatley smiled softly as Chelly took his glasses off and placed them over her own eyes. Wheatley chuckled and put her down, taking back his glasses. Without his glasses, Wheatley was as blind as a post, so he always kept that pair and a spare somewhere on his person at all times. His current spare pair was in the junk drawer near the kitchen sink.

Hearing the Jeep doors slam, everyone ran toward the front door. GLaDOS walked in first, carrying a small bag, followed by the Androids. "That grocery store certainly is nice. My scans indicated that it was very clean. We'll be up in the attic most of the night. Please don't bother us." GLaDOS handed her bag to Wheatley and started going upstairs. "When you two are finished putting those away, come upstairs" GLaDOS shouted to the Androids. After a few minutes, the Androids ran upstairs and the attic door slammed shut. Wheatley placed the small bag on a nearby end table and shook his head.

"It's all yours." Lil sighed, tossing the Jeep keys to Dr. Rattmann. "It's all gassed up and ready." Despite not carrying anything, Lil looked exhausted. Wheatley helped Lil to the couch and helped her take off her jacket. In the past few weeks, Lil's pregnant belly got bigger and Lil was starting to feel it. "Do you know how hard it is dealing with those three and carrying your child all day?" Lil groaned softly.

When Wheatley gave Dr. Rattmann the signal (a thumbs up, which he returned), Dr. Rattmann ushered the girls to get their coats. "Alright, we're going!" Dr. Rattmann shouted. Angie and Chelly ran to hug Lil, who struggled to sit up straight. No matter how tired she was, she was never too exhausted for hugs from her family.

As that happened, Wheatley slyly pulled out his wallet and gave Dr. Rattmann a few twenties. "Wear them out good, Mate." He whispered. Dr. Rattmann nodded appreciatively and put the money in his own wallet as the girls rejoined him.

"Have fun, you two. Angie, keep an eye on Chelly and don't let her eat too much sugar." Lil warned as Dr. Rattmann left with the girls. Lil sighed happily and placed her hand on her stomach. Wheatley came to sit down on the couch as Lil took off her shoes. She didn't wear boots anymore, her swollen ankles making it hard to walk without getting exhausted. Wheatley smiled as Lil slipped off her sneakers and relaxed her feet on the coffee table, breathing out loudly.

Wheatley took one of Lil's feet and started rubbing it. "So, have a good time shopping, love?" Wheatley asked, pressing his thumb into the heel of Lil's foot.

Lil let out a soft "oooohhh…" and sank deeper into the chair. "It was a nightmare. For someone who doesn't eat, she sure has a low opinion of the food I buy. I counted nine times she insulted my vegetarianism and about eleven times that she claimed I was depriving the girls of essential vitamins and nutrients. You know, being a vegetarian is different from being a vegan. I wish more people knew that. You'd think a highly advanced robot, as she keeps calling herself, would at least have some kind of program swimming around in her head to know the difference."

Chuckling softly, Wheatley switched feet. "But other than that, it was surprisingly good. She helped me find the best deals and made it so where the teenager at the deli doesn't slice our lunch meats too thick. I hate thick slices of turkey." Lil noticed Wheatley was looking at her hopefully. "Don't worry, she got them to cut your roast beef the way you like it. Though, it might be a quarter of an inch too thick. She thinks she's being vindictive, so I just let her have her way this time."

Wheatley nodded and rubbed Lil's ankles. This made her purr like a kitten. "So, excited, love? Our next appointment we find out if it's a boy or a girl we're having. Can't wait, extremely excited, that's what I am. I have a few names for boys, and I can't wait to start painting the spare bedroom. Blue…proper color for a boy's room, isn't it?"

Lil giggled softly and sat up. "What if it's a girl?" she asked, with a sly grin.

"Oh, don't even joke about that." Wheatley chuckled, with Lil joining in. Looking up, Wheatley could see how relaxed Lil was getting, and usually when she was relaxed, she could easily get in the mood for love. Of course, Wheatley found Lil irresistible either way. He decided to save dinner until later. Wheatley wanted Lil badly. "Say, love, why don't we adjourn to the bedroom?"

Lil glanced at Wheatley coyly and giggled softly. "Let's, shall we?" she responded, with Wheatley helping her up. As they walked, Wheatley stopped and rubbed his head. "What's wrong, Wheaters?" she asked as Wheatley grasped his head. "Are you having a headache again?" Lil put her hand on Wheatley's cheek, though he insisted he was fine. He looked into Lil's eyes, trying his hardest to reassure her that he was fine.

"It's nothing, dear. Go on up to the bedroom and I'll get some aspirin." Wheatley sighed and watched his wife ascend the staircase. He walked to the downstairs bathroom and looked in the medicine cabinet. "Why is this happening now?" he moaned, shuffling through all the medicine. He found the aspirin and popped two in his mouth, as per the instructions. Wheatley turned on the cold water in the faucet and splashed some water on his face to get him focused.

"Focus, Wheatley…" he murmured. "…this is the first night in a long time that you and Lil had some time to yourselves. Get it together!" he whispered loudly. Sighing softly, Wheatley closed the medicine cabinet and faced himself in the mirror. In a flash, an image of himself as a core appeared in the mirror and then disappeared. Wheatley fell back onto the closed toilet and grabbed his chest. "Why is this happening now?" he whispered, getting up and brushing himself off.

Trying to stay focused; Wheatley turned off the light and started making his way upstairs. As he did, he found P-Body running down the stairs as if in a hurry. "Please don't make too much noise tonight." He shouted to P-Body, as she ran toward the living room. Before Wheatley reached the top step, P-Body bolted passed him with her arms full of different objects and tools. "I sincerely hope you're not taking anything apart again. We can't afford to keep replacing our appliances just so you can fill your lust for tinkering." He shouted again. P-Body, again, didn't acknowledge Wheatley and ran back towards the attic.

Shaking away the rest of his headache, Wheatley slowly opened the master bedroom door and found the room lit with candles. "Oh, Wheaters…" Lil chirped in a way that made Wheatley blush. Sitting on the bed in a silk nightgown, Lil motioned with her index finger for him to "come hither". With a goofy smile and a nervous chuckle, Wheatley shut (and locked) the bedroom door and slowly started toward the bed. Lil reached over to her small nightstand and pressed play on her mounted digital music player. Apparently, according to the music selection, she had been anticipating this all day as well.

Wheatley slid his shoes off and climbed onto the bed to join Lil. "It's been quite a while, wouldn't you say, love?" Wheatley murmured as he started kissing Lil's neck. Wheatley started taking off his clothes until he was down to his undershirt, boxers, and socks.

"Since we first moved in, but seeing all that's happened since then, it feels like forever." Lil gasped.

As Wheatley's lips made their way to Lil's shoulder, a loud banging noise above them threw him off balance. Lil looked up and sighed. She turned to her music player and turned the music up as Wheatley went back to what he was doing. When the music got louder, so did the noise above them. Lil reached over and turned the music player off. Before she could get up, Wheatley stopped her. He knew if she went up there, Lil wouldn't be in the mood afterward. "Let me deal with it, love." Wheatley whispered, kissing Lil gently on the cheek.

Putting on his bedroom robe, Wheatley stomped out of the master bedroom and toward the door that led to the attic. Wheatley often felt the attic was oddly placed. While most houses they looked at had attics that needed to be accessed through a pull string hatch and a ladder, the attic in this house was accessed through a regular door that led to stairs leading to another door. While Lil liked that she didn't have to climb a ladder to put stuff away, Wheatley was the first to see the opportunity of a guest room/home office (until GLaDOS moved in, at least).

The first door didn't have a lock, so Wheatley opened it without fail and climb up the stairs. He knocked on the second door loudly and waited with his arms crossed. The door only opened slightly, with ATLAS poking his head out. "I don't what it is you three are doing and I don't care. Just keep it down!" Wheatley then left, slamming the first door. ATLAS chattered something behind him and closed the door softly.

Creeping back into the master bedroom, Wheatley found Lil relighting one of the candles. He slid off his bedroom robe and made his way silently behind Lil. As Lil shook the match out, Wheatley nibbled softly on her earlobe, surprising Lil, making her involuntarily elbow Wheatley in the face, sending him backward. Wheatley fell off the bed and hit his head on the dresser. "Wheatley!" Lil shouted, running toward him.

Wheatley shook the dizziness away and looked at Lil. The view from his glasses resembled a kaleidoscope. Still dizzy, Wheatley smiled. "Oh, 'ello there, love. You look ravishing…all three of you…" he murmured with a dizzy chuckle. He felt Lil take his glasses off and sigh.

"I'll go get your spares." She murmured, putting the broken glasses on top of the dresser. Lil put on her robe and slippers and left the master bedroom.

Wheatley leaned himself against the dresser and tried to look around. Everything was out of focus and he found himself crawling along the floor trying to find the bed. He heard his bedroom door open with a panicked haste and a pair of feet in front of him. Wheatley crawled toward the feet and grabbed the ankles. "Oh, that was fast, love. Why did you put your shoes on?" Wheatley asked, grasping onto the bed and hoisting himself up. "I really hope they didn't hear that. It'd be embarrassing. Now, let's have a kiss, love…" Wheatley puckered up and held his hands up.

If he thought he was grabbing Lil's chest, he would be wrong. That became evident when he felt a smack across his cheek that made him fall back on the bed. "I don't know what kind of sick sexual games you humans play in here…" GLaDOS snarled, fixing her dress. "…but I want no part of it. I heard the commotion and I came to make sure the house wasn't on fire." GLaDOS looked around at the still lit candles. "I'm glad to see you didn't start a fire in here, so I'll go back to my work."

GLaDOS left as Lil was returning with Wheatley's spare glasses. Wheatley got up and squinted hard, trying to put Lil back in focus. "Lil?" he asked.

"Yes, it's me." Lil chirped, handing Wheatley his spare glasses. Wheatley put on his spare glasses and blinked his eyes back into focus. He then looked at his hands, making a disgusted look. "What's wrong, and why is your cheek red?" Lil asked, gently touching Wheatley's swollen cheek.

Wheatley shivered a bit and looked at his hands sharply. "I'd…rather not talk about it. Let's just say I accidently found out whether or not GLaDOS is anatomically correct above the waist…" Wheatley looked like he wanted to cry as he looked at his hands again. "She is…" he whispered, running to the bathroom. He knew there was no soap on the market that could wash this feeling off his hands.

Lil waited for a good ten minutes on the bed, trying to keep herself from falling asleep. When she felt her baby kick, she giggled softly. After a while, Wheatley slowly left the bathroom and smiled a Lil coyly. "Sorry about that little excursion, love. Now…" Wheatley slowly made his way back to Lil and leaned against her (as much as her pregnant belly would allow). "…where were we?"

_Upstairs in the attic_

"No good, we'll need more time." GLaDOS sighed in her mechanical fashion, sitting back in her chair. ATLAS chattered something as P-Body continued to work on several components. "I know we're running out of time as it is, but this won't get done any other way. He's tried to override my lockouts and that Junk Heap is getting closer to discovering the location of my attacks. In hindsight, sending that teacher into testing probably didn't help out chances. Even with all the safeguards I put in place."

P-Body finished what she was doing and stood up. She chirped in her mechanical language and then looked at ATLAS. ATLAS nodded and sat on the floor with his arms crossed. "He might be built to be like the idiot, but he's still Aperture technology. You know as well as I do that Aperture technology is adaptable."

GLaDOS disconnected the cable from its port in the back of her head under her bun. "I must say, I'm genuinely impressed that he was about to adapt that quickly, being modeled after the idiot and all." GLaDOS stood up and started for the door. "Well, it won't do any good to try again tonight. We'll give it another try some other time." GLaDOS started pacing the attic, trying to think. The Androids followed with their heads.

She stopped for a moment when she heard softly moaning under them. GLaDOS grinned softly and looked at her Androids. "I think I know what I want to do…"

_In the master bedroom_

Wheatley was apparently good at giving back rubs, as Lil moaned softly and moved her shoulder blades along with Wheatley's hands. "How does that feel, love?" Wheatley whispered softly. Lil blushed and snuggled close as he continued his massage. He could swear he could hear Lil purr like a cat when the massage was done.

"Oh, Wheaters…" she moaned, a glassy look in her eyes. Wheatley smiled and took Lil in his arms, kissing her passionately. Lil let one of her nightgown straps fall off her shoulder as Wheatley's lips made their way back to her neck. Her gasps became more frantic, meaning Wheatley was doing something right.

_**KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!**_

Wheatley's head bolted up and he straightened up his glasses. "I'll take care of this, love." He whispered, grabbing his robe. Lil covered herself up as Wheatley opened the door slowly. Not surprisingly, it was GLaDOS. "Yes, what do you want?" he snarled.

GLaDOS chuckled and eyed Wheatley up and down. "I don't mean to disturb you, Moron…"

"I highly doubt that, but go on…" Wheatley interrupted.

"…the Cooperative Testing Initiative and I are all done with our project. I just came down to let you know we won't be making any more noise." GLaDOS folded her arms and tried to get a better look at the master bedroom.

"Good, fine…go away!" Wheatley slammed the door and started untying his robe when he heard another knock at the door. He tied his robe up again and opened the door. "What?" he shouted as he opened the bedroom door. On the other side stood P-Body, who chirped something in her mechanical chirping. "No, I don't know where we keep the tape. Check the kitchen. If it's not there, we're out. Now, if you are done…"

"Actually, I think I saw Angie using it earlier and she rarely puts things back where they belong." Lil shouted from the bed. Wheatley rubbed his head and leaned against the door. P-Body looked into the bedroom (this was her first time seeing the master bedroom) and nodded while looking around. "Check her room. If it's not there, then we might be out. If that's the case, just put it on the list on the fridge."

P-Body nodded and chirped in an impressed manner at the master bedroom. Wheatley was starting to get frustrated. "Oh, you've never seen the master bedroom, have you, P-Body?" Lil asked, sitting up. P-Body shook her head and looked around, amazed. "Maybe tomorrow I'll let you look around, but right now…"

"Right now is a bad time!" Wheatley softly pushed P-Body out of the bedroom and closed the door. Wheatley sighed and started back for their bed when Lil shot up. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Lil put on her bedroom robe and her slippers. "I should probably help her find the tape. If not, they'll keep bothering us." Lil then left the bedroom. Wheatley sighed and fell back on his pillow. His head started to hurt and he sighed softly, realizing the aspirin wasn't working. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. If Lil got back and saw him tensed up, the entire night would be ruined.

Sighing softly, Wheatley laid his head down and tried not to concentrate on anything. He definitely didn't want to think about the nightmares and their increasing frequency as of late. Wheatley knew the headaches meant that a sleepless night was in store. Wheatley didn't even bother trying to sleep now. He wanted this night to be perfect for him and Lil, and Wheatley wasn't going to give it up. When Lil returned and slowly closed the door, Wheatley grabbed her by her shoulders and planted a kiss most passionate on her lips.

As they started making their way to the bed, undressing each other in feverish passion, another knock came at the door. Fuming with enough anger to match a charging bull, Wheatley opened the door wide. "What do you want now?" he asked, not realizing he was stark naked in front of GLaDOS and her Androids. P-Body placed her hands over her eyes in embarrassment while ATLAS looked away. It wasn't until GLaDOS smirked that Wheatley realized he was naked. Lil tossed him his robe and he hastily put it on.

"I'm going to assume it is cold in here." GLaDOS murmured softly, trying to keep her giggles down.

Wheatley reached his breaking point. Finding his pants, Wheatley grabbed his wallet. "If I give you twenty dollars, will you leave us alone?" he snarled.

The Androids held out their hands with a nod. "That's very generous of you, idiot. But we're stuck at home tonight and have nowhere to spend it." GLaDOS chided.

Wheatley's eye was twitching and he felt his headache worsen by the second. Wheatley slowly grabbed the keys sitting on top of the dresser and pointed to the stairs. "Pick up some milk while you're out, I forgot to get some earlier!" Lil shouted, pressing stop on her music player.

Twenty minutes later (traffic and stop lights permitting), they arrived at the front of Angie's new school. Wheatley stopped the minivan, ordered them out, and drove off. GLaDOS and her Androids stood in front of the fall carnival happening at Angie's school. "Grandma?" GLaDOS looked up at Angie as she, Dr. Rattmann, and Chelly wondered toward the entrance. "We were just taking Chelly to the bathroom when Grandpa said he thought he saw our new car."

"What did you do?" asked Dr. Rattmann, holding a pink stuffed teddy bear prize. "…or more importantly, what did you stop them from doing?"

GLaDOS said nothing, waving a twenty dollar bill in Dr. Rattmann's face as she and the Androids walked into the festivities.

When Wheatley returned home, he ran upstairs, eager to see Lil. Nearly tripping over himself, Wheatley rushed toward the master bedroom and swung the door open to find Lil blowing out the candles. "What are you doing, love?" He whined. Lil sighed and started putting on her regular pajamas. It was then Wheatley knew that the night was a bust.

"Let's just get some sleep, Wheatley. We have to get up early tomorrow, anyway. We need to start setting up for the winter sale at the bookstores." Lil sighed softly and climbed into bed. Before Wheatley could protest, he just sighed and went to find his pajamas. As Wheatley climbed into bed, he felt Lil rub his back softly. "We'll have other nights, Wheaters. Don't worry." She cooed, kissing him on the cheek. Wheatley couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arms around his wife.

_A few days later_

Wheatley and Lil returned home from their doctor's appointment with big smiles on each face. Wheatley was holding a bag from the home improvement store and he looked eager to get started on redecorating the spare bedroom. Lil took out a small envelope from her purse as the family ran up to them (GLaDOS excluded, who stayed in Wheatley's chair with the newspaper). Lil smiled and looked down at Angie. "Well, am I going to have a niece or a nephew?" she shouted, holding Chelly's hand tightly. The Androids looked eager to know as well.

With a smirk, Wheatley took the pictures and knelt down as far as his long legs would let him. Angie and Chelly looked at the ultrasound pictures curiously. "We're having…" Wheatley smiled and pulled out a tin of paint from the bag. It was blue. "…a boy!" he shouted happily.

Everyone cheered, except GLaDOS, who went back to pretending to read the newspaper. "…called it…" she murmured, putting the newspaper down.

Dr. Rattmann shook Wheatley's hand and patted him on the back. "Alright, how about we go celebrate? Ice cream and dinner out tonight, on me!" Dr. Rattmann shouted to the girls and the Androids. Each group cheered loudly as they reached for their coats. Dr. Rattmann noticed Wheatley snuggling close to Lil as they stared at the ultrasound pictures. He coughed softly and looked at the girls. "How about we go on ahead and you meet up with us later?" Dr. Rattmann winked to Wheatley as he started ushering the girls and the Androids out the door. He walked over to GLaDOS and helped her up.

"But I don't want to go…I don't eat…" she murmured.

"No choice…" Dr. Rattmann murmured as GLaDOS grabbed her purse from the coffee table.

Later that evening, Wheatley and Lil (looking much more relaxed and happy), joined their family in the parking lot of their favorite restaurant. "How did it go?" Dr. Rattmann asked as they started walking in. Wheatley gave Dr. Rattmann a wink and a thumb's up as they waited to be seated.

* * *

Relaxing back in her chair, GLaDOS folded her arms and watched as the security feed showed nothing. It had been quiet and she didn't like it. "Whatever you're planning, I will stop it." She mused, trying to recharge. GLaDOS kept hearing noises and sometimes she heard music, but the feeds showed only peaceful hallways and test chambers with subjects on their schedules. Everything was in its place and everything was going smoothly, but she couldn't for the artificial life of her, figure out what the "Junk Heap" had planned.

"I wonder if he is still there…" she murmured, pressing a button and coming closer to one of the monitors to get a better look. "Maybe he left and came looking for us, though leaving the labs in his state would be the robot equivalent of suicide. He'd never find the correct components to repair himself outside of the facility." GLaDOS looked genuinely worried and began a more feverish search around the feeds. The cable plugged into the back of her head wiggled a bit, as if her frustration was feeding into the computer itself.

"You're playing with me…" she murmured. "…show yourself, you Junk Heap!"

As if on cue, a mild shock went through GLaDOS's body, followed by a horrible screeching static like sound. She covered her ears, despite the fact that the noise was flowing through her body. The lights in the house flickered, though no one noticed as it was late at night. The Androids, however, could hear the noise in their own systems and woke up with a jolt from their respective sleep modes. They both rushed to their boss in the attic and made sure she was alright.

As the noise subsided, each monitor went blank. The Aperture logo flickered on each screen until each monitor (save for the fetal monitor) went completely black. When the Aperture logo came back, GLaDOS regained her composure and sat back in her seat. She turned her attention to the feeds of the Central A.I. Chamber and tried to focus. As she got closer, the silhouette of a familiar figure stalked around the main chassis. GLaDOS tried to activate the lights in the chamber but got no response from the systems. As the emergency lights flickered, the figure turned around and looked up at the security camera.

One eye was red and one eye was blue. She couldn't see his face, but she saw his wicked smile as he held up one hand, as if about to wave. He didn't. He only held up his hand, as if letting her know he was there. He was there, and he would soon be in control. GLaDOS's eyes widened and she started typing feverishly again. Soon, the static subsided and she knew she was safe for a little while longer. The safeguards were keeping him at bay and stopping him at every turn, but even she didn't know how long she could keep that up. She smiled, but felt a bit discouraged, as his grin didn't leave his face. He placed his hand on her chassis and chuckled.

GLaDOS watched as the feed started to die again. "We're running out of time…" she whispered softly. Soon the feed came back and GLaDOS fell back, seeing his broken red eye up close on her monitor. She shouted in surprise as she fell back, covering her mouth in horror.

* * *

**N'cha, everyone!**

**So, you guys can pretty much guess who is at the labs, right? Well, honestly, I knew I couldn't keep that secret. You guys are too good! Actually, it wasn't much of a secret. I'm more into building this up than keeping it under wraps. Where is it going? Well, just keep reading and you'll see!**

**My work is never done, it seems. I have a few other projects I want to get back into, so if you guys don't see an update from this story in the next few weeks, don't panic. I'm just doing some spring cleaning on some other projects and updating a few. I have a lot planned that I want to do before Christmas, so here's hoping that happens, alright?**

**Oh, before I forget, I might start posting these on DeviantArt soon, so keep a look out for that as well.**

**Well, how did I do? Let me so, alright? I appreciate all reviews, but please keep them tame. I like knowing what you guys think and I look forward to reading your reviews each and every time I post a new chapter. As always, thank you for your support.**

**Read, review, and be merry, my doves!**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, Dr. Rattmann, ATLAS, and P-Body belong to Valve.**


	6. The Cabinet of Doctor Rattmann

_One Big Aperture Family_

The Cabinet of Doctor Rattmann

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function_

_Initiating Log Program_

_Begin When Ready…_

_As much as I don't want to say it, it appears we are running out of time. I find it harder and harder to access the lab through my remote access and now plugging into a computer is getting tougher as well. The Junk Heap is adapting faster than I had initially thought and if nothing is done soon, all of Aperture will bend to his will._

_I simply cannot have that._

_Luckily, the family we're living with is still unaware of the true nature of our visit. Blue and Orange know of the danger, but still seem to act as if nothing is wrong. They play with the children, do chores, break things, and wander around like housecats figuring out how the house functions. I'm glad they can keep up the façade, but my anxiety seems to be catching the attention of the humans. I wouldn't want to spoil their joy, now would I? _

_The humans recently found out the gender of their child. I already knew thanks to the fetal monitor, but I decided not to spoil their fun. They are having a boy, as one of my previous fetal monitoring logs stated. They still have yet to come up with a name and right now, Blue and Orange are helping the Moron and the Manic paint the spare bedroom. Personally, I think it's the ugliest shade of blue I have ever seen, but the Fat Older One likes it, so that automatically makes my opinion of the situation moot._

_At this point, I'd say the Older One is pretty far along. We arrived in late August when she was five months, and now the fall months are here, which by my calculator means she should be birthing anytime between the end of December and the first few weeks of January._

_I wish to go on record and say that I do not plan to be around that long. Let these humans deal with a screaming miniature version of themselves alone. The Cooperative Testing Initiative and I will hopefully have the situation under control by then without having to resort to help from the humans as initially planned. Although, there is one human in this house who I think can actually be of some use to us._

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function_

GLaDOS stood up and fixed herself properly, noting through her internal timer that it was already late afternoon. Angie was still at school and Wheatley and Lil had left to oversee errands regarding their bookstores, which meant GLaDOS and the Androids were alone, save for Dr. Rattmann and Chelly. Chelly was in the care of the Androids, whom the adults seemed to trust more than GLaDOS.

Picking up her purse, GLaDOS made her way out of her attic and downstairs, where the Androids were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, playing Angie's video games. ATLAS, who was winning the racing game they were playing, shouted happily as the announcer on the game congratulated the first player. P-Body huffed mechanically and folded her arms. She chattered to him (which could be translated as "Best two out of three!") and soon another round started. GLaDOS rolled her eyes and sat down in Wheatley's chair.

Chelly, who was sitting on ATLAS's lap, cheered happily and clapped as the music of the game started back up. Chelly heard GLaDOS sit down and she turned her attention in that direction. "Gamma!" she shouted happily, reaching for GLaDOS.

"I'm glad to see you two are taking your duties seriously." GLaDOS murmured. The Androids didn't seem to be paying attention. "You know, while I'm trying to keep our home out of the clutches of that mechanical moron, you two seem happy just wasting the vast intellect and superior designs I gave you with childish hobbies." Still not paying attention, the Androids continued their game.

GLaDOS got up from the chair and reached into her purse. She pulled out the cable she used to plug herself into her console in the attic. She plugged herself into the television and made it shriek loudly with static. It, and the game system, shut off. Chelly giggled a soft toddler giggle and ran to GLaDOS as she unplugged herself.

GLaDOS picked up Chelly and looked at her Androids, who were now standing in attention. "That's better." She murmured, putting the cable away and handing Chelly to P-Body. "Now, I'm sure you two realize the severity of the situation." GLaDOS glared at the two, who only nodded. Chelly tugged on one of P-Body's pigtails, which caused P-Body mild discomfort.

Chuckling softly at the toddler's curiosity, GLaDOS folded her arms, motioning that what she had to say was serious. "Good. Then you know it's been difficult for me to log into the facility as of late. We're running out of time, and the safeguards I keep putting up in the central chassis from our remote location can only hold for so long. I don't want to reveal the real reason why we're here to the humans just yet, and I'm hoping I won't have to."

What GLaDOS didn't know was that Dr. Rattmann, having come up from his den to make himself some lunch, was listening to the entire exchange as he hid himself behind the doorway of the kitchen. He listened in as GLaDOS continued to explain that things were not yet out of control, but without a proper lab and the attic only being able to hold so much equipment, there was little they could do except stall. Dr. Rattmann decided it was time to let his favorite _Machinenmensch _in on what he had been working on.

With some help from his cane and a cough to clear his throat, Dr. Rattmann made himself known as he walked into the living room. GLaDOS turned around suddenly and glared at him. "How much did you hear, Maniac?" she demanded, preparing to open her purse. P-Body put Chelly down and watched her run to Dr. Rattmann happily.

Dr. Rattmann held up his hands, motioning for GLaDOS to calm down. "All of it. I think you forget I live here too, sometimes." He chuckled. The Androids stood behind their boss, looking at each other in confusion. GLaDOS regained her composure and straightened herself out. Dr. Rattmann took Chelly's hand and started walking toward the stairs. "I'm going to put her down for a nap. After that, I'm going to show you something I've been working on for the past few months we've been in this house."

After a few minutes, Dr. Rattmann returned to the living room and urged GLaDOS and her Androids to follow him. "I have been working on something Aperture related for quite some time. I haven't told Lil or Wheatley what I'm working on. If they knew, they'd throw me out of the house." Dr. Rattmann slowly opened the door to his den and descended the stairs. Though unsure, GLaDOS and the Androids followed closely. "When we returned from Aperture three years ago, Wheatley and Lil vowed never to go back there and banned anything Aperture related from our lives. As the ban apparently doesn't matter anymore…" Dr. Rattmann looked back at the group as he fumbled for the light switch. "…I guess it's alright that I let you in on something."

Dr. Rattmann switched the lights on and the entire basement became illuminated. "I was planning on telling them eventually, but not until it was ready. Working on it is probably the only real thing keeping my mind focused right now. I know things wouldn't be peaceful forever, so I designed something to help me keep an eye on Aperture while keeping my distance from it. I got a little help from an old friend…" Dr. Rattmann walked over to his work table and uncovered it. On it, laid scraps of what looked like a dual portal device.

Wide-eyed, GLaDOS made her way to the table and tried to keep herself from touching it. "How…?" she murmured, not sure how to finish her sentence.

"I went back to the field a little while after we returned from Aperture. I'm not sure what made me go out there…" Dr. Rattmann sat on his stool and turned on the light overlooking the table. "…maybe I needed to be sure I was actually on the outside. That I was truly free…" Dr. Rattmann sighed and placed his hand on the device. "When I finally reached the shed, I found a backpack in front of it. When I opened it up, I found a few little treasures inside. It seemed like _two certain automatons_ were getting ready to return them to their rightful owner…"

Dr. Rattmann reached under the table and pulled out the same backpack he was referring too. He poured out the backpack's contents onto another table, revealing a few crinkled up child-like drawings and some toys made from scraps. All of this looked very familiar to GLaDOS. ATLAS and P-Body nervously looked away. "Look familiar, you two?" Dr. Rattmann asked, picking up the backpack and holding it in front of the Androids.

GLaDOS turned to her Androids sternly and glared at them. "We'll discuss this later…" she growled, turning her attention back to Dr. Rattmann.

Dr. Rattmann chuckled softly. "Well, at any rate, sitting right in front of me was the dual portal device. I couldn't just let it sit there in the field, so I brought it back with me. I knew the dangers of taking it back to the city, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to work on it. I know what you're thinking and don't worry, I would never sell such technology. The world isn't ready for this type of power. I had other ideas, anyway."

GLaDOS examined it closely, with a horrified look. The device was indeed in pieces, its major components missing and its casing strewn about on the table. She picked up a small part of the device and sighed mournfully as she placed it back down. Even if put back together properly, the device would be useless. "You…" GLaDOS's voice cracked a bit. "…you destroyed it…"

"Had to get to the creamy center somehow." Dr. Rattmann laughed as he turned his attention away from the broken device. "Besides, the device has nothing on what I am about to show you." Dr. Rattmann got up from his stool and meandered over to a cabinet. He unlocked it with a key he kept in his pocket and stepped aside. GLaDOS and her Androids made their way to what looked like another dual portal device. Before GLaDOS could reach for it, Dr. Rattmann stepped in front of her. "This is, and I will not repeat this so listen up, not a dual portal device in the sense that you know it."

Taking the device out of the cabinet, Dr. Rattmann placed it on the table next to the scraps. "This experimental device won't make two portals, so in a sense it's like the one-shot device. But that's not the beauty of it." Dr. Rattmann walked over to a pure white wall and dusted it off. "I found it quite odd when there were a lot of useful components down in this basement when I moved down here. I have no idea what they used to put in paint before I went into cryogenic sleep a hundred years ago, but it works pretty well for my experiments."

Breathing deeply, Dr. Rattmann turned on his device and aimed for the wall. "Ladies and gentle-bot, I give you…" Dr. Rattmann fired at the wall. On the wall appeared an orange portal. It flickered a bit and then opened up, revealing the lobby of the Aperture Science building. GLaDOS couldn't believe her optics. She walked over and tried to touch it, but decided against it. "…the One-Way Trans-portal Gun."

GLaDOS looked at the wall with her Androids, amazed. Dr. Rattmann stepped in front of the portal and reached in. He pulled out a piece of drywall that had crumbled off the ceiling in Aperture and presented it to GLaDOS, who took it cautiously. "By using this gun, I have created a portal to the inside of Aperture. Their walls are covered in the gel made from moon rocks, so wherever the portal opens is pretty random. I have to figure out a way to control where it pops up, as not to arouse any suspicions. It works sort of like your purse, except …"

The portal didn't last long, however. It flickered for a bit and then ceased to exist. "…and therein lies the real problem." Dr. Rattmann sighed as he turned off the device. "Even if I could control its location, I can't get the portal to stay open for more than a minute. It might have to do with the charge, but I'm not sure. I've been working on it for quite some time. I didn't start diving deep into it until recently, when I had more room and a little more privacy. If Wheatley and Lil found out I built a one way trip to the very place that nearly killed them three years ago, I'd never hear the end of it."

Dr. Rattmann placed the device back in the cabinet and locked it. He put the key back in his pocket and faced GLaDOS. "Listen, you have no idea how important it is that you don't reveal any of this to the others. I think it can benefit both of us, but if Wheatley and Lil find out before the device is ready, we can kiss any hope of fixing Aperture good-bye."

As the group left the basement, GLaDOS decided to ponder the device some more, if only to get a closer look. "So, what do you hope to accomplish once the device is fully operational?" she asked as Dr. Rattmann closed the basement door.

"I decided a long time ago that Aperture will always need someone to look after it from the outside. The technological wonders it houses would do more harm than good. With this device, I can easily go from home to Aperture, making sure things don't get out of hand."

GLaDOS glared at him and gripped her purse tightly. "…you mean to say you built it to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't come back for the moron or his family."

Dr. Rattmann didn't say anything. He left GLaDOS and the Androids standing there as he went to go check on Chelly. GLaDOS wasn't sure whether or not to be offended. She then looked down at her purse. Inside her purse was the same technology. Aperture had designed it around the same time as the portal project, but the designers were thinking along the lines of a handbag that could store anything. Granted, her "Aperture Science Travel-Sized Trans-dimensional Storage Carrier, Ladies Edition in white suede" only had one set location, but it at least worked properly.

The possibility of a randomly occurring portal intrigued GLaDOS. "If the Maniac can make something like that in a basement with scraps, then he is more useful than I give him credit for." GLaDOS glanced over at her Androids, who stood perfectly still. "With the right equipment, we might be able to get that device operational." GLaDOS held her purse tightly an excused herself to her attic. She pondered the device and tried to think of a way to get close to it.

In her mind, she went over what she had gathered about the device: It worked like her purse, but instead of one set location, it could make a portal to anywhere in the facility; the only flaw being the location was random. If she could get it working properly, GLaDOS could use the device to keep a closer eye on things and maybe work covertly without the use of her computers, which was getting more difficult to do. If she could get the portal to last more than a minute (and find a way to control its location), something like that could be useful.

"Now, to get it away from the Maniac long enough to work on it…" she murmured, as she reached her attic. Before she turned the doorknob, a thought came. She had equipment Dr. Rattmann could make use of; perhaps an agreement of some sort could be made. Though the very thought of working close to him made her systems quake with unease, GLaDOS knew she had no other option. She needed to get close to the device, and the other way was through him.

Deciding to bite the bullet, GLaDOS walked back toward the main part of the house, where her Androids began playing their game again. She sighed mechanically and sat down in Wheatley's chair. Dr. Rattmann made himself comfortable on the couch and relaxed to the sounds of the racing game on the television. The Androids, for reasons all their own, preferred to sit on the floor. GLaDOS tried not to make it too obvious that she was eying him.

"So, that device of yours…it seems to still need work." GLaDOS finally said after a few minutes. Dr. Rattmann looked at her and nodded. "I think maybe some sort of agreement can be made, Maniac. I have equipment up in my attic that you could find useful. We can work together. You, me, and the Cooperative Testing Initiative could have that device up and running before the Older One has her child. I know that this device can be used for the betterment of the facility, and as long as the family doesn't find out, then we should be fine."

Dr. Rattmann eyed GLaDOS a bit. It was obvious she was up to something. Her intentions with the device were her own, but Dr. Rattmann couldn't deny that he needed a little help getting it to work properly. If GLaDOS had the right equipment, then a partnership could be struck. Dr. Rattmann was understandably weary, but saw more pros than cons. Dr. Rattmann stood up and held out his hand. "Alright, you have a deal. But I have my eye on you, remember that." He murmured. GLaDOS nodded and stood, shaking his hand.

"You two, keep an eye on the Tiny One. The Maniac and I have some work to do. If the other humans come home, don't tell them what we're doing." GLaDOS shouted, though not sure if they were paying attention. The Androids nodded and went back to their video game as Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS made their way to the basement and shut themselves down there.

As the evening rolled in, the Androids found themselves sitting with Chelly again in front of the television. The front door opened and in stampeded the family. "…all I'm saying is if they don't want us to play with the equipment, they shouldn't leave it out! That teacher didn't have to yell at me like I was a child!" Wheatley reasoned as Lil laughed. Angie, wearing a pink ballet outfit and holding a bag under her arm, ran to the living room to greet the Androids. Chelly got up and ran to her Aunt Angie and hugged her.

"Aunnie Angie!" Chelly shouted happily as Angie picked her up. For Angie, Chelly was pretty heavy. Wheatley and Lil made their way into the living room as the Androids stood up. "Hi-hi Daddy! Mommy! Unckie Attie and Aunnie Pee-Bee play today!" Chelly shouted, reaching for Wheatley. He smiled happily and took Chelly from Angie.

"Did Chelly give you two any trouble?" Lil asked the Androids.

The Androids, in the mechanical language, talked about their day. Lil couldn't understand them, but Wheatley translated as Chelly grabbed his glasses and put them on. He chuckled and placed her on the ground again before taking his glasses back. As Chelly ran off after Angie, Wheatley translated the day's events to Lil. "After we left, most of their day consisted of doing various chores and watching television. Chelly was fine, for the most part, and she didn't cry or break anything. Dr. Rattmann watched her most of the day since they were doing chores but after lunchtime he went back downstairs and they reassumed control of the child."

Lil laughed softly and sat down in Wheatley's chair. "Well, I'm glad I can trust you two. Where is Dr. Rattmann now?" Lil asked. The Androids chattered and pointed to the kitchen, most likely meaning to point to the basement door. Something about their explanation puzzled Wheatley as he translated.

"He's down there…with GLaDOS?" Wheatley translated, somewhat confused. "What are they doing down there?"

The Androids looked at each other, knowing GLaDOS would punish them severely if they told the family what she and Dr. Rattmann were up to. The Androids shrugged and walked away to find the children. As Angie poured herself and Chelly some juice, the Androids sat down at the table. "Uncle ATLAS, Aunt P-body! Guess what?" Angie shouted happily as she screwed on the sippy-cup lid for Chelly. The Androids shrugged and stared at the children. "I started doing ballet today and the instructor says I'm really good! We have our first recital in a few weeks!"

Liking how excitable Angie was, the Androids smiled as Angie continued to explain her new hobby. Lil waddled into the kitchen to start dinner. "Well, it's something constructive and it's getting her nose out of those comic books. Plus, if she keeps it up, it could get her some scholarships to some great colleges when she's older." Lil reasoned, with Wheatley just nodding along.

"I hope whatever they are doing downstairs doesn't take too long. I wanted to get started on that spare bedroom soon." Wheatley sighed as Lil put the tea kettle on the back burner of the stove. Lil knew Wheatley liked tea before dinner and often made him some.

"Well, at least they are getting along. I figured they'd have a lot in common, considering they both lived at Aperture. Though he lived in the walls and she was connected to the ceiling." Lil mentioned as she took out some pots and pans. "As long as they don't blow up the house, I don't care what they do down there. I usually don't ask Dr. Rattmann what he's doing. I'll call him up for dinner when it's ready. Angie, take your things up to your room and throw your sweaty clothes in the laundry basket."

As the family went about their routine for the evening, Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS worked into the long hours of the night. They only stopped when Dr. Rattmann went upstairs to eat (and take his evening medication, plus one or two bathroom breaks), but other than that, work went nonstop. Dr. Rattmann showed her the schematics, his equipment, and the recordings on his computer of the initial tests. GLaDOS knew where she stood and where she was to start.

When it felt like they were succeeding, something happened and they were back at square one. It felt nice to have someone help him with his project and though he was sure GLaDOS had ulterior motives, he was glad he could share his triumph and error with someone else.

When the family went to bed, the Androids soon joined them and work didn't stop until very late that night. With their power supplies almost out, the Androids called it a night. GLaDOS was almost completely drained, but still kept going. "You're power supplies are low." murmured Dr. Rattmann, picking up the device. GLaDOS watched helplessly as Dr. Rattmann placed the device back in its cabinet and locked it tight. "You did well today and I appreciate the help, but you're starting to power down. I can tell."

GLaDOS stood up and sighed mechanically. "Not bad for a _Machinenmensch_, would you say?" GLaDOS chided as she walked up the basement stairs with P-Body walking ahead. ATLAS, who slept in the basement with Dr. Rattmann, pulled his cot out and slowly powered down for the night as P-Body happily made her way upstairs to Angie's room.

Dr. Rattmann took GLaDOS's hand softly, as if telling her job well done. "When I call you that, don't take offense." He murmured as he made his way to his sleeping area. If she could blush, GLaDOS was sure she would be at that moment. She shook the thought away and left the basement.

"For a Maniac, he's actually proving quite useful…" she murmured softly.

The next few days, GLaDOS and Dr. Rattmann poured over research and plans for the device. She reluctantly let him into her attic under the premise that he tell no one what he sees. Dr. Rattmann thought the fetal monitor was a bit strange, even for GLaDOS, but decided to let it slide (despite how uncomfortable it made him). Between helping Wheatley paint the spare bedroom and working on the device, Dr. Rattmann never felt his mind so stretched, yet it felt nice.

Wheatley and Lil were a little worried at all the time Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS were spending together. While Lil knew nothing good could come with whatever GLaDOS had planned, she was happy that GLaDOS had found someone else to bother during the day. Wheatley, on the other hand, was suspicious. Whenever he felt the need to go downstairs to the basement or upstairs to the attic, Lil would stop him.

"Just leave them be." She whispered, as she poured Wheatley some more coffee one morning. For days, all Wheatley and Lil heard was noise and rarely saw the two unless Dr. Rattmann came up for something to eat or GLaDOS needed to recharge. Now, it was odd silence.

Wheatley shot up and tossed his paper down. "I don't like all the noise they make down there and now they just decide to be quiet? I want to know what she's forcing him to do!" he shouted, making his way to the basement door. Lil, who was getting too big to protest as this point, just followed behind Wheatley, trying to reason with him. Wheatley opened the basement door and stomped down the stairs. "Alright, I want to know…" Wheatley noticed the lights were on. The few times he had been down in the basement, he knew Dr. Rattmann didn't like bright lights. He looked over in a particular corner and snickered a bit. He yelled for Lil to come downstairs.

When Lil arrived (slowly pacing herself), Wheatley pointed to the area where Dr. Rattmann kept a couch. The basement was part storage area, part miniature home for Dr. Rattmann. It had a small sleeping alcove, a work space, and a small living space separated from the boxes of old stuff and holiday decorations. Dr. Rattmann was a resourceful man and put the old furniture from the apartment to good use in his den. Wheatley and Lil snickered softly at the sight. Lil left the den momentarily and came back with her camera. She took one picture and smiled as the image popped onto the screen in perfect resolution. "I believe I found a way to keep her under control." She chuckled evilly.

On the couch in the living area, Dr. Rattmann sat with his arms on the top of the couch. Sleeping (or in sleep mode, as the case may be) with her head on his lap, GLaDOS didn't make a sound. As Wheatley and Lil left the den, Wheatley noticed a cabinet just off from the work area. He had never noticed that cabinet before and decided it must have been left when the former home owners moved out. He noticed it had a lock on it, but the lock wasn't locked. Wheatley slowly went over to the cabinet and reached for the door.

"Wheatley! Get back up here!" shouted Lil from upstairs. Wheatley retracted his hand and looked over at Dr. Rattmann, who shifted softly. Wheatley decided to peak his curiosity some other time and slowly went back upstairs, trying not to make a sound.

* * *

As GLaDOS recharged, her attic went unattended. Images of the facility flashed on the screens, though nothing seemed out of the ordinary. GLaDOS didn't see all the odd work the worker bots were being forced to do and she didn't see the cores along the rails again. It had been years since the cores sored along the rails of the facility proper and now they seemed to do so without care. Something was telling them it was safe and that GLaDOS was gone.

The feed to the Central A.I. Chamber was shaky at best, but if GLaDOS had been in her attic, she would have seen her chassis making odd tugging motions. The chamber itself seemed to be taking on a new look, and the chassis looked like it was being converted into some sort of seat. A throne, of sorts…

While the overseer of the unapproved renovations could not be seen, his presence brought fear into the worker bots and the cores, and they did as they were told. The camera made a tugging motion until finally it went out and static was all that could be seen. The picture of Chell that had been taped onto the fetal monitor shook a bit until the tape lost its stickiness. The picture of Chell glided softly to the keyboard of the main computer console and rested there. Every other monitor seemed fine, the feeds undisturbed. The sounds of work going on quieted for now, and the central chamber feed came back.

It looked like nothing had happened at all. The deception was in position, and now all would fall into place.

* * *

**N'cha, everyone!**

**This chapter is mostly filler, as I am laying down the ground work for the next chapter. What is going to happen in the next chapter? Well, let's just say they're going to test the device and something VERY VERY BAD is going to happen. We're going to see Aperture through the eyes of a child, but that's all I'm saying.**

**How's everyone's holiday going? Mine's going alright. I have some shopping still to do, but I'm not completely broke yet haha. I do love the holiday season, until I'm stuck in traffic wondering why the hell I decided to come to the mall in the first place. But when I finally make my way to the Barnes and Noble with the Starbucks in it (the only Starbucks I will go to, by the way), I remember that despite the crazy this season brings, in the end it's not about religion or commercialism or any crazy nonsense. It's about relaxing with family and being with the ones you love.**

**So, as you all go out there and get into fistfights over the last of something on sale, remember that the holidays, no matter which one you celebrate, are about showing the ones you love how much you care. So, why not share the holiday love with me and give me some reviews haha.**

**Ahh, I'm so getting coal for Christmas, aren't I?**

**As always, I want to thank everyone for their support of my work, I've actually got in touch with a lot of new fans of my work and I just want to say thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it a lot and I couldn't have asked for more awesome fans.**

**Read, review, and be merry, my friends!**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, ATLAS, P-Body, and Dr. Rattmann belong to Valve.**


	7. Chelly in Apertureland

_One Big Aperture Family_

Chelly in Apertureland

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function_

_Initiating Log Program_

_Begin When Ready…_

_Everything seems to be running at a nice pace. A few days ago, the Maniac told me about an experiment he had been working on for quite some time and has now decided that I should be in on it. What came as a shock initially turned into some kind of hope. In his possession was a modified dual portal device he named "The One Way Trans-portal Gun". I would have chosen a better name, personally._

_I had a nice long chat with the Cooperative Testing Initiative about the backpack the Maniac found in the field years ago. He told me he went back to the field just to be sure he was truly free. Of course, I often told him his box was broken and had schizophrenia, but no one believes the Super A.I., oh no. _

_Blue insisted that all they wanted to do was return the Small One's possessions to her, and that he and Orange weren't planning on running away to stay with the humans again. I do recall them acting strangely (or more strangely than usual) around a specific time three years ago, but I had assumed they were roaming around in the garbage wing again. I remember because I decided to double their test load to keep them from wandering too far in the garbage wing. Dangerous things lurk there…_

_Speaking of, I've noticed a lack of activity on the monitors lately. My sensors aren't picking up anything, but then again, when it comes to my remote access as of late, it's shaky at best. I wonder what he has planned. My hope is that he gave up, but I know a precaution is more powerful than a hope. I'll be resetting some of the safeguards later. But for now, I have a device testing to get to._

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function_

Winter seemed to be arriving early, as the school children were already wearing heavy coats and the weatherman on the television was preaching a coming snowstorm. While the prospect of snow was dubious at best, it still had the inhabitants of the Pendleton household on Autumn Street worried. Flurries had been spotted a few days before, but it quickly dissipated.

The morning started out pretty well, if one ignored Angie's whining for a pet. Her obsession with owning a dog as of late was quelled by Lil telling her that dogs create too much of a mess and we already had their hands full with the Androids and GLaDOS. "I don't see why you want a dog so badly. We have two Androids that live here and a robotic 'Grandmother'. What nine-year-old wants a dog over two working Androids?" Lil sighed, picking up the breakfast plates.

Wheatley had nothing to say on the matter. He really didn't have much to say at all. He hadn't gotten any sleep again last night but it seemed that only Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS knew why. He just drank his coffee and nodded along with Lil. Chelly seemed unusually happy in her high chair with all the talk of pets.

"Doggy go bark-bark!" Chelly laughed as Lil picked up her empty sippy-cup.

"That's right, sweety. Doggies go 'bark-bark'." Lil laughed as she went to put the dishes in the sink. P-Body, having volunteered for morning clean-up, finished the dishes in no time at all. "See? Can a dog do dishes?" Lil left the kitchen as Angie sighed. Eventually, the family got up to get ready for the rest of their day.

With Wheatley and Lil gone for the day and Angie at school, Dr. Rattmann decided this would be a rare chance to test the device. Dr. Rattmann knew Lil didn't like the news of a looming snowstorm, even if the thought of one this early in the winter was ridiculous. Being pregnant only heightened her fear. Dr. Rattmann knew that Wheatley and Lil wouldn't be gone all day, so they had to test fast. The basement being too small, Dr. Rattmann, with the help of the Androids, set up everything they needed in the living room (after moving the furniture).

With ATLAS as the lookout, Dr. Rattmann prepared the tests. "Let me know if you see the Jeep pull up." He instructed as ATLAS stared out the window. ATLAS nodded and kept his eye on the street. He gave the morning mail carrier a nasty look through the curtains (he never liked him) and then went back to his vigil. P-Body, having been trusted by Lil to look after Chelly, stayed in her spot on the couch as Chelly piled toys around her.

After her toy pile was finished, Chelly sat on the couch and played with a few of her stuffed animals. One in particular, whom Wheatley named "Mr. Teddums" when he bought it for Chelly, seemed to be her favorite. Chelly had owned Mr. Teddums since she was really small and always had a strong connection to the teddy bear. Mr. Teddums and Bun-Bun, a floppy bunny doll (Wheatley seemed to name most of the things he bought for the girls) were usually not far from Chelly whenever she played outside her room.

"Alright, are we all ready?" asked Dr. Rattmann. He had instructed P-Body to keep Chelly away from the test area. While she would have taken Chelly up to her room, Chelly kept throwing a fit whenever P-Body tried to pick her up. Dr. Rattmann told P-Body she could stay downstairs as long as P-Body kept her out of the way. P-Body picked up Bun-Bun and examined its long floppy ears. Chelly looked at P-Body and then at Bun-Bun and smiled happily.

"Aunnie Pee-Bee Bun-Bun!" Chelly shouted happily, pointing the P-Body's stringy low pigtails. P-Body put the bunny doll down and grabbed her own pigtails softly. Chelly giggled softly and picked up Bun-Bun again. P-Body wasn't sure if she knew how to feel self-conscious, but she was sure feeling something.

Chelly looked over at ATLAS, who was still glaring maliciously at the mailman as he walked to the next house. Deciding in her toddler mind that "Unckie Attie" looked lonely, Chelly meandered over to him with Bun-Bun. She tugged on his shirt, getting his attention. ATLAS looked down at Chelly and took her offering of Bun-Bun graciously. As Chelly meandered back to the couch, ATLAS squeezed Bun-Bun tightly as he let the mail carrier know that he was watching him.

GLaDOS, holding the device for the first time, smiled softly and turned it on. "Let's see if our hard work actually paid off." She murmured, aiming it toward the plank of wood Dr. Rattmann brought up from the basement. The device made an odd clicking sound when turned on at full capacity. Though they figured out the charging problem, the device had a long "cool down" period. That meant once it was turned off, it couldn't be turned on again for hours. Dr. Rattmann decided to take what he could get, as long as it meant the device worked. He figured it was a step in the right direction and he'd iron out the details later.

"Aperture Science One Way Trans-portal Device Test One commence." With everyone at a respectable distance, GLaDOS fired the device at the plank. It sent her back a bit but it seemed to work. The portal flickered and eventually showed the inside of a maintenance hallway inside Aperture. The device still had a random outcome, but it wasn't flickering into nonexistence. Dr. Rattmann clapped once, loudly, and a smile creeped across his face. One minute passed, than two, until almost ten minutes without the portal collapsing passed.

"It…it works…" Dr. Rattmann, one hand over his mouth, walked to the portal and touched the inside of Aperture. The portal was indeed still there, its rim slowly spinning. Dr. Rattmann stuck his head through the portal and looked around. It was indeed an Aperture maintenance hallway, as he could hear the test chamber assembly nearby.

Making sure the coast was clear, Dr. Rattmann stepped inside fully. GLaDOS, in shock, ran over to the portal with the Androids and Chelly in tow. "What are you doing?! The portal could close at any moment and you'd be stuck there! It could take us days to find you! Maybe longer with that…Junk Heap roaming around!" GLaDOS sneered, watching Dr. Rattmann walk around the small space.

This place felt familiar and Dr. Rattmann looked around slowly. He looked at a nearby wall and saw a bloody hand print. He placed his hand on it and noted it was a perfect match. The blood was dry and though it looked like some had chipped away, it was indeed his. By the location, Dr. Rattmann assumed this is the hallway he had met Wheatley at before they ran off to free Lil from GLaDOS years ago.

The Androids looked in, though GLaDOS kept them from going in. Dr. Rattmann stepped out after a minute or so and started to chuckle. "It works!" he laughed, scaring GLaDOS and her Androids a bit. Dr. Rattmann hugged GLaDOS and shook her a bit. "IT WORKS!" he shouted happily. GLaDOS slowly shrugged Dr. Rattmann off as he and the Androids celebrated. GLaDOS clapped sarcastically, but deep down she was happy it worked. "I can't believe it works!" Dr. Rattmann whispered, touching the portal rim softly.

"Don't get too excited, Maniac." GLaDOS, in her rainy-day parade fashion, crossed her arms and walked over to the device. The Androids and Dr. Rattmann followed behind. They didn't notice that Chelly had wiggled her way away from the group and now stared curiously at the portal, which was starting to flicker. "Even if it does work, we still have to find a way to make the charge last longer. Once this portal dissipates, we'll have to wait hours to try another test. Even after that, we have to work on the outcome."

Dr. Rattmann, placing his hand on the device, nodded and stroked it softly. "Well, maybe we could use components from your purse." He remarked, pointing to GLaDOS's purse on the table.

GLaDOS, shocked at the very notion of him tearing apart her beloved "Aperture Science Travel-Sized Trans-dimensional Storage Carrier, Ladies Edition in white suede", glared at Dr. Rattmann. "I forbid you to touch that! It's the only physical link I have to the facility! If you start tearing it apart, we'll have nothing once the Junk Heap disables my remote access. He's been getting gutsy, though he's still stupid. He's adapting, though."

Cooing softly, but not loud enough for anyone to hear, Chelly gripped Mr. Teddums tightly and walked through the portal. As she did that, the portal started to flicker and soon caught the attention of everyone in the house. At that moment, ATLAS looked over at the couch and noticed that Chelly was missing. He pointed to the portal and shouted loudly in his mechanical language. This got Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS's attention. The portal flickered and finally collapsed on itself, ceasing to exist.

"…where is the Tiny One?" GLaDOS asked, somewhat panicked.

_In the Facility_

Gripping Mr. Teddums, Chelly looked around at the big area she was now in. She started to go back but found a grey wall where the magic hole to the living room was supposed to be. Chelly stood there, whimpering softly and then she looked around.

"Gamma? Ganpa?" Chelly whimpered softly. "Unckie Attie? Aunnie Pee-Bee?" The wall held no answer. Chelly stood there, whimpering softly. The sounds of the facility were little comfort to the toddler. The sounds of the test chamber assembly above scared Chelly and made her scamper off away from the wall.

In her toddler mind, Chelly felt this place reminded her of the big shopping mall her mother sometimes took her to. When Daddy and Grandpa were busy at the bookstores and Aunt Angie was in school, Mommy would sometimes take Chelly out shopping. The big mall always scared Chelly but she often got comfort from the candy Mommy kept in her purse. She'd give Chelly a piece whenever she got upset or whenever Mommy made Chelly promise not to tell Daddy about a big purchase.

But this wasn't the mall. It was cold and felt like the doctor's office. Chelly didn't like that place, either. She seemed happy to not see any scary doctors but still held Mr. Teddums closely. Chelly walked along the walkway and looked around. Loud crashing noises from above scared her and made her run along the catwalk, her tiny shoes making small tinkling noises.

Chelly's little feet didn't take her far, as she soon stopped to rest near a big door. Chelly couldn't read (the sign said "Caution! Test Chamber Assembly Area") but from the sounds coming from the other side of the big door, she knew she didn't want to go that way. In her mind, she wondered if there was another way to find the magic glowing hole back home. Chelly scampered away from the door and made her way down another catwalk. This one led to another door.

"Big scawy pwace, Mr. Teddums." Chelly whimpered as she reached this door. She didn't hear any scary sounds coming from this door, but she was sure she heard voices. Chelly looked at the sign on the door, which looked identical to the other one, but with different letters. "Voices…" she chirped, standing on her tippy-toes to reach the doorknob. When that didn't help, Chelly hopped up and down. This method helped her get into Mommy and Daddy's room more than once. The last time she did this it was one of the times Mommy and Daddy played their "special" under the covers game. She didn't see anything, but Chelly noted that Mommy and Daddy now kept their door locked.

Finally reaching the doorknob, Chelly grabbed it and turned the handle making it open. It swung open slowly, revealing a nicer hallway than the one she was currently in. Chelly gripped her teddy bear tightly and started walking down this hallway. The door slammed shut behind her, scaring little Chelly into releasing a shocked yelp.

"_Hello?" _chirped an unknown voice. Chelly regained her composure and slowly walked down the hallway. The voice sounded kind of like Grandma, only higher and faster. Not to mention friendlier. Chelly scampered down the hallway and found a wall made entirely out of glass. She placed her bear down and pressed herself against the glass wall. Looking down, Chelly saw a conveyer belt with odd egg shaped things on them. They had legs like spiders, but there were only three legs to each egg shaped thing.

_**Turret Redemption Line Active, Please Do Not Engage Turrets Heading Toward Redemption**_

Chelly didn't know where that voice came from. One conveyor belt went toward a giant hole with the egg shaped spiders, while another belt went toward another hole with bits and pieces of the spiders. "Dose spiders awe bwoken, Mr. Teddums!" Chelly shouted, pointing to the second belt. Chelly looked at the belt with the working spiders and noticed one looked at her with its red eye beam.

"_Who's there?"_ The Spider asked, as it disappeared into another room.

"Spider, come back!" Chelly shouted, grabbing Mr. Teddums and running in the direction the belt was going. She ran along the hallway and found an open doorway, leading to another catwalk. Chelly looked down and followed the belt as the egg shaped spiders disappeared into yet another room. Chelly ran up the catwalk stairs and saw in front of her a big office. She heard a happy chirping sound when the Spiders said hello and an angry buzzing noise when they didn't say hello. The broken spiders that made it through must have met her father, because Chelly giggled at their odd rambling.

Daddy sometimes rambled on about nothing. He would do so until Mommy got up and left the room or Grandpa (but most of the time Grandma) told him to be quiet. Chelly liked it when her father talked, because he had a silly voice. Chelly noticed that Daddy called things by different names sometimes. For example, Daddy often called the television "the telly" and sometimes referred to Grandpa or Uncle ATLAS as "Mate" when he talked to them. Chelly liked the way Daddy called the potty "the loo" and the elevator at the mall "the lift". Her favorite by far was when he called Mommy "Love" and would kiss her on the cheek. He called Chelly and Aunt Angie "Love" sometimes, but Chelly liked how Mommy giggled when Daddy called her "Love".

Chelly walked up a platform and down some more stairs and entered the office.

_**Template… **__"Hello…" __**Response… **__"Hello…"_

The happy chirping noise made Chelly smile. Oddly, the door was open and Chelly found what was making the happy sounds. There was a glass booth with a spider in it that didn't do anything except say "hello" when two handles came down. Chelly stared at it inquisitively and meandered over to the booth. The window to the spider being scanned was broken, so Chelly stepped inside the booth slowly to get a closer look. "Hello, Spider…" Chelly said with a smile.

"_Hello…"_ The Spider responded. Chelly wasn't sure if the spider was speaking to her or not. Chelly placed Mr. Teddums down and poked the spider. It fell over and started to shake. Chelly ran from the booth and watched the spider explode. It wasn't a big explosion, as it only knocked Mr. Teddums over.

"Uh-oh…" Chelly whimpered, picking Mr. Teddums up and placing him upright. Usually when Chelly broke something, Mommy would get mad. Chelly was somewhat relieved to not hear Mommy scolding her.

_**Template Missing, Continuing from Memory**_

The two handles kept coming down, despite nothing being on the ground. The screens beside the two handles had the pictures of the spiders on it. Chelly stepped onto the plate where the spider had been and the two handles came down. Chelly giggled at the tickling feeling the weird beam of light gave her. The screens nearby flashed red as Chelly stepped out of the booth.

Chelly left the booth and wondered over to one of the computers. Chelly didn't know how to use a computer, but often saw Mommy and Daddy using the one in their living room. Putting Mr. Teddums down, Chelly climbed into a chair and stared at all the glowing buttons. The computer at home didn't have anything like this. Her play computer would sometimes flash these colors and make happy sounds.

It clicked in Chelly's head that this must be a big play computer. Chelly mashed one of the buttons and the entire conveyor belt stopped. A picture of one of the spiders flashed on the screen. Chelly couldn't read, but kept mashing buttons until the picture changed from the spider things, to a human, and then a few other objects. Chelly stopped at a picture of a dog. "Doggy!" Chelly shouted, unintentionally mashing the big button again. The belt started up again.

_**New File Selected. Subject Dog Input into All Further Turrets**_

Turrets? Is that what those spiders with three legs were called? Chelly walked over to the booth again and watched the conveyor belt.

_**Template... **__"BARK-BARK!" __**Response…**__ "BARK-BARK!"_

Chelly clapped happily as each turret came down the conveyor belt, barking like a dog. She decided to follow the doggy turrets and see where they were going. The hallways were winding towards something big, but Chelly didn't seem to mind. She and Mr. Teddums were together and now they were off to find the doggy turrets.

_Meanwhile, back at home_

ATLAS tore the cushions off the couch and shouted into the springs and lining. P-Body threw open the pantry door and started tossing food out, also shouting. The entire house was a wreck, thanks in part to the Androids tearing everything apart looking for Chelly. Dr. Rattmann, now calm after taking his medication, picked up the things the Androids threw around. GLaDOS stood off to the side, arms folded. She didn't help much in the search effort, but she carried a worried look on her face.

"Alright, where was the last place you saw her?" Dr. Rattmann asked calmly. P-Body pointed to the living room (the furniture had been put back properly) and motioned at the couch. "She was with her stuffed animals. Maybe she went up to her room."

GLaDOS shook her head. "We checked there already, remember?" she murmured, looking around. GLaDOS widened her eyes and looked as if she entered a trance-like state. She turned her head a few times and then blinked softly. "My scans indicate that the Tiny One is not in the house. Perhaps she is outside?"

Shaking his head, Dr. Rattmann pointed to the back door. "I checked all the doors; they're locked. Besides, she can't even reach the doorknobs, how would she get outside?" asked Dr. Rattmann as the Androids joined them. Dr. Rattmann grabbed a handful of his hair and sighed softly. "If Wheatley and Lil come home and find us without Chelly, nothing will save us from Lil's wrath. You think she hates you now; you'll be wishing she liked you that much when she's beating you with P-Body's arm." Dr. Rattmann pointed to P-Body, who grabbed her arm in panic.

Turning away from Dr. Rattmann and her Androids, GLaDOS looked around and placed her hands on her hips. "Then I suppose there is only one true answer. When we were 'celebrating', the Tiny One must have snuck through the portal before it disintegrated. My calculations say that the One Way Trans-portal Gun won't be ready to go again for another three hours. The Moron and the Older One will be back in two hours. So, we are at a bit of an impasse." GLaDOS didn't want them to see her worried face, so she stayed in her spot.

Dr. Rattmann started for his den. "Then I guess we need to get to work." He commanded. GLaDOS turned around and faced Dr. Rattmann, an impressed look grazing across her face. "Go up to your attic and get everything you think can help. I'll scrounge up some Aperture components from the other things I saved from the facility and we'll get something working." Dr. Rattmann faced the Androids. "You two start cleaning up and keep an eye out for Wheatley and Lil. If they come home before we come back up, warn us and stall them if you can. But whatever you do, don't tell them about the device and Chelly's disappearance."

GLaDOS, somewhat taken aback by Dr. Rattmann's assertiveness, nodded and walked towards the stairway. "You heard the Maniac, let's go!" shouted GLaDOS to the Androids. The Androids nodded and started to clean up their mess. GLaDOS decided not to tell Dr. Rattmann she was impressed by his take-charge attitude to the situation.

P-Body sighed mechanically as she picked up Bun-Bun, who had fallen on the floor during all the excitement. ATLAS, in their mechanical language, comforted P-Body and took his post by the window. P-Body felt an odd sensation come over her and her head quivered a bit. ATLAS, looking over at her for a moment, asked what was wrong. P-Bod only shrugged. She didn't tell him that this had been happening for the last few days, but P-Body didn't want GLaDOS to find out. P-Body silently decided to do her own diagnostic later.

_Back At Aperture_

She wasn't quite sure how she got here, but Chelly was having a grand time watching things get sucked into the giant tubes. Having placed Mr. Teddums down in a safe place, Chelly had gathered a nice little pile of random things from the offices she had just finished exploring and waited for the tube to make its loud noise.

The tubes looked like the ones from the bank Daddy took her to sometimes. Mommy looked uneasy trusting Daddy with those plastic bags full of money, which she called "business deposits". She warned him countless times: "To the bank and nowhere else!" and would hesitate in handing them to him. Daddy would respond with saying he's not a child and then he and Chelly would be on their way. Daddy liked taking them to the bank so he could watch them go up the tube. The nice lady at the window would send back a slip and two lollipops, which was Chelly's favorite part.

The tube was broken and only seemed to suck up air at certain times. Whenever Chelly heard a loud "whoosh", she knew it was time to place something else in it. Chelly clapped happily and looked at her pile, which now consisted of loose paper and a broken stapler. After placing these things in the tube and watching each item fly off to parts unknown, Chelly stood up and walked over to Mr. Teddums. She picked him up and walked over to the hallway in search of more items.

As she stepped out into the hallway, a soft whirring sound flew just above her. A shiny ball on the metal track over her flew by. "Ball!" she shouted, running after the shiny ball. The shiny ball didn't stop when Chelly kept yelling for it. "Ball, come back!" she shouted in her toddler speak.

Suddenly, the ball did stop. It looked around and wondered what was shouted "Ball!" at it. It looked down and found Chelly smiling wide. "There appears to be some miniature human here." The ball murmured softly. The ball had one big eye in front that looked like a flower. "It's been quite a while since I've seen an actual human here. Why, the last proper humans left approximately three years ago. Maybe not exactly three years, but I'm not the math construct for _Zea mays' _sake."

Chelly just stared at the ball, not sure what to make of its rambling.

"Look, miniature human, I'd love to stay and chat, but if _HE_ sees me stopping for any reason, he'll have me torn apart for scraps!" the ball looked panicked. "I'd rather not be plucked apart like the petals of a _Bellis perennis_, so I'm afraid our conversation must end."

The metal ball started to zoom off. Chelly chased after it, following it down numerous hallways until she finally stopped to rest against a wall. The metal ball looked behind itself and let out a mechanical sigh, like Uncle ATLAS and Aunt P-Body often did. "You know, you look familiar." The ball said, gliding back to Chelly. "You look kind of like the humans _SHE_ captured and brought here a few years ago. They were very nice; they didn't step on any of my plants. I miss the garden…"

Chelly leaned against a wall and yawned. "Oh, you would have loved the garden. All of us cores used to live there, before _HE_ took charge. You know, when the other one was in charge, she didn't particularly care for us and just let us be in our garden. But then he showed up, looking like that tall, gangly human. But he's a machine, alright. Just as a _Helianthus annuus _can only grow in moist, well-drained soil with heavy mulch, you can bet he's a machine in and out. He looks like he had sewn himself back together, with his mismatched parts covering his injuries and his busted eye. But don't let his ragdoll look fool you, miniature human. He's very much in control around here. When the other one and her Androids left, he started to take over. I don't know how much control she has left, but…"

The metal ball noticed Chelly was chewing on her little fist and probably didn't understand a word it was saying. "Alright, I'll make this simple: Big, gangly robot is mean and in charge. If he finds you, you'll probably be tossed somewhere bad. If you agree to never come back, I'll help you find a way out. Home, do you understand?"

Home. That was a word Chelly understood. "Go home, ball!" she shouted happily. "Wanna go home now, ball! Done pwaying now!" Chelly held Mr. Teddums closely as the ball made a nodding motion.

"Alright then, follow me. I know where there is a portal to the outside. _SHE_ activated it before she left and kind of uses it to store things. I don't know where it goes, but whatever is on the other side might be able to help you find a way home. Oh, and do me a favor, miniature human: if you find her out there, tell her to come back…"

Chelly nodded, not sure exactly what she agreed to. Chelly followed the metal ball along the hallway, passing by doors and broken walls. "…and then I said, 'Well, I'm in charge of the garden, so I say the _Gardenia jasminoide _cannot share the same plot of soil as the _Chrysanthemum coronarium_; the soil is too acidic for both to grow together!' and then I remembered I didn't need to plant the latter, seeing as the human wasn't around the eat them anymore. I miss him."

A soft rumbling shook little Chelly enough to make her want to lean against the wall. "Oh no…" the metal ball cowered in its place, looking around frantically. "Alright, let's not panic. He's probably just readjusting something in the central chamber. I doubt he's noticed you. He rarely pays attention to the monitors on this level. Ironic, seeing as he relocated his chamber to be near here; the Central A.I. Chamber can move at will, depending on who is in charge."

Motioning for Chelly to follow, the metal ball glided along the rail. Something on the far off wall caught Chelly's attention. "Hello? Small Human, please don't go near that!" the metal ball shouted, following Chelly. On the wall, with a bunch of boxes stacked nearby, was a square shaped hole. "It's an old trash chute. Some of the lazier office workers used to use it to throw trash down to the incinerator. The door was sealed shut right before the humans vanished. It recently fell off and…"

The metal ball didn't finish its sentence. Chelly started climbing the boxes and peeked inside the chute. "Hewwo?" Chelly's greeting echoed off the walls of the chute. "Anybody home?" Chelly started to climb inside and soon found herself sliding down the chute. The metal ball panicked and rerouted itself and opened a nearby wall, zooming as fast as she could toward the chute's ending.

Chelly cheered with glee as she and Mr. Teddums glided down the chute at gathering speed. The metal ball, knowing her way around, zoomed down many different rails until she found her way to the bottom. When Chelly reached the bottom, she found herself landing softly in a pile of trash. "You are very lucky I got down here in time to reroute that chute!" the metal ball shouted.

The red glow from the hot room nearby made Chelly sweat badly. "Come on, we are too close to the incinerator for someone your size. It's not safe!" The metal ball shooed Chelly out of the room and out to a cool hallway. With a gleeful smiled Chelly started walking again until something else caught her attention. "No, no, no! No more distractions! We're so close to the portal!"

Ignoring the metal ball, Chelly walked over to the wall panel that seemed to be out of place. A red glow came from within, though it wasn't hot at all. Chelly placed Mr. Teddums down outside and crawled through the broken panel. Inside the wall, the room amazed Chelly.

The only light inside the hidden room was a dangling red light that looked like it had been fixed there. The wall was covered in drawings and writings that scared Chelly. A pile of torn up paper on the floor near a broken core receptacle caught Chelly's attention and she wandered over. She then noticed there were pictures on the wall. These pictures were of certain areas within the facility, while some were of people. Chelly got a closer look at one of the pictures and her eyes widened.

"Mommy!" she shouted, jumping for the picture. The picture was indeed of Mommy, but it looked old. The corners were crumbling and it looked faded from exposure to the red light. Other pictures like that were everywhere, along with a few pictures of Aunt Angie and a blue piece of paper with what looked like an outline of Uncle ATLAS and Aunt P-Body. A few childish drawings adorned the walls as well, and some old machine parts littered the floor. Chelly placed her hand on the wall, and then turned her head.

The other wall seemed to scare Chelly a great deal. Along this wall she found a picture of Daddy. It looked a lot older than the other pictures and there was a big red X over it. Chelly couldn't read, but if she could, she would have read the words underneath the picture written in red paint.

_**FAKE! FAKE! FAKE! HE'S THE FAKE!**_

The color red scared Chelly a lot. She ran back towards the entrance to the wall, grabbed Mr. Teddums and held him tightly. "I told you not to go in there. It's his shrine…" the metal ball murmured. "He doesn't live in there anymore, but we all knew he used to. He hid there for years until he was powered up and repaired enough to leave. When weird things started to happen, that's when the other one and her Androids left. I was hoping she'd come back with the humans, but it's just been us and him for a while now. When we were sure it was safe, we left the garden. He found us, sealed off the garden, and now we work for him. I doubt you can understand what that means, but know that if he finds us, you'll never go home."

Motioning for Chelly to follow, the metal ball glided slowly along its rail, keeping itself alert. Another great rumbling almost sent the metal ball off its rail. "Ball, wha's wrong?" Chelly shouted.

"He's mad! Oh no, no, no! He's mad! Hurry!" the metal ball zoomed along the rail with Chelly running after her. "The room with the portal is this way." The metal ball looked down and noticed Chelly was once again gone. "I wish I was the Nanny Core. I'd have more patience." The metal ball muttered, following the sound of Chelly's little feet scampering toward a doorway. Inside this door, Chelly saw all the three legged spiders from earlier falling down like rain.

"NO, NO, NO! WHICH ONE OF YOU HAS BEEN PLAYING WITH THE TURRET CONTROLS?!" shouted a voice that sounded almost like Daddy. "ALL OF THEM ARE…DOGS! DESTROY ALL OF THEM AND START OVER! FIND THE ONE THAT DID THIS AND THROW THEM DOWN THE INCINERATOR CHUTE!"

"Daddy?" Chelly whispered softly. The spiders from before kept falling around Chelly, who leaned herself and Mr. Teddums close to the catwalk to watch. One spider hit the railing, causing Chelly to lose her grip on her teddy bear, sending it over the edge. "NO!" she shouted, reaching for her falling bear.

"Do I look like the Nanny Core to you?!" shouted the metal ball. "I am specifically designated the Gardening Core and it is my job to keep the plants from taking this place over again! If you think for one minute that…"

As Mr. Teddums disappeared into the abyss below, Chelly let out the loudest wail ever heard in Aperture. The metal ball didn't know what to do and tried everything to comfort the child. "Please, stop leaking! And stop making that horrid noise! He'll find us and it's the scrap table for us! I'm sorry for yelling! Oh, bother, bother, bother…ummm…" the metal ball panicked. Just as the metal ball was looking up lullabies in her memory banks, something crashed onto the catwalk a few feet from Chelly and the metal ball.

Chelly stopped crying for a moment and walked up to it. Somehow, it landed upright and its red eye turned on. "TURRET!" the metal ball shouted, quivering in fear. The metal ball tried to find a place to hide, but stayed put when she saw Chelly walk toward the turret slowly. "Get back here! It's not a toy! Turrets are not sympathetic, they shoot anything they see!" Chelly ignored the metal ball and poked the turret with her index finger. It seemingly sprang to life and its two side guns came out part-way. The metal ball was getting ready for the worst.

"_BARK!"_ the turret shouted, hopping up and down.

On its three legs, the turret hopped and barked happily around Chelly, making sniffing and licking sounds while snuggling close to Chelly. "Doggy tur-wet!" Chelly shouted, finally calling the machines by their proper name. The turret barked loudly and wiggled itself about. Its gun arms flapping about like ears, the turret was indeed acting like a dog. The turret happily nuzzled up to Chelly and made a happy whining sound as the metal ball slowly glided nearby. The turret stood in front of Chelly and growled softly.

"It thinks it's a dog? So that's what was going on up in the turret wing! The Foreman Core said there was an intruder messing with the templates, but I never would have guessed such genius could come from such a compact sized human!" the metal ball zoomed toward Chelly, who just stared at the turret attempting to wag it's nonexistent tail. "Well, he seems to have taken a liking to you. You might as well take him with you, seeing as you're both fugitives now."

Chelly looked over the side again and whimpered. "Oh, that plush novelty? You might as well forget about it. I don't mean to sound cold hearted, but its long gone by now." The metal ball started gliding along her rail, and after finding a whistling sound file, called the turret-dog to follow. Chelly shed a little tear and followed behind the core and the turret dog.

A little ways ahead, the core sat in front of a secured door. "He can't come in here, he's already tried. Through this door lies the special room she designed. Except for her, only the cores can go in and out without problems. He gave up trying to open this door long ago. Please stay here." The metal ball ascended into the ceiling and after a few clicks, the door opened. "Hurry, it's on a timer!"

Chelly and her turret-dog scampered in as the door shut itself tightly behind her. "Up there…" the metal ball nodded towards an odd orange opening. "Don't let the darkness on the other side fool you. It goes somewhere. I can't reach up there, as my rail stops here. But you can go up there and go home. If you see the scraggily man or the woman in white with her blue and orange friends, please tell them to come back."

Though Chelly nodded, it was clear to both the metal ball and the Chelly that the request fell on deaf ears. The metal ball watched Chelly climb atop a pile and make her way to the orange portal.

_Back at home_

No one noticed GLaDOS's bag fidget around as they aimed the device at the wall again. "Alright, let's give this one more college try." Dr. Rattmann murmured, holding the device up to level. GLaDOS and the Androids stood behind Dr. Rattmann as he charged up the device. He aimed the gun and fired, but nothing came out. They all stared blankly at the wall and sighed remorsefully. "We have less than thirty minutes to figure out how to explain this to Wheatley and Lil…" he grumbled.

"…explain what to us?" The British accent asked as the front door opened wide. Dr. Rattmann, GLaDOS, and the Androids turned to face Wheatley slowly. Dr. Rattmann smiled nervously and shoved the device behind his back. "What's going on?"

GLaDOS looked less frightened at Wheatley and stepped forward. "Moron, answer a question for me. How angry would you and the older one be if we, say, lost the tiny one? Hypothetically speaking, of course." GLaDOS turned Wheatley toward the door, motioning with her hands behind her for the others to get the device back downstairs.

"On a scale of one to ten? I'd say about 13,542; why do you ask?" Wheatley turned to GLaDOS with an angry look. "What happened? Where's Chelly?!" Wheatley shouted.

Lil and Angie came in through the front door next, Angie in her ballet outfit and carrying her sports bag. "…for the last time, Angie, we're not getting a pet. I don't want something messing up the house with the new baby on the way. Besides, if you want to play fetch with something, just play with the Androids." Lil scolded, having gotten tired of the conversation she was having with Angie. Angie groaned but soon stopped when she felt the tension in the house thicken.

As the others ran back up, the angry looks on the faces of the humans grew. Before anyone could answer, GLaDOS's purse hopped off the coffee table and rolled toward the group. Everyone's attention was diverted to the purse as it hopped around playfully and finally snapped open.

Out poked Chelly's head, with a big smile. "Mommy! Daddy!" Chelly shouted as she wiggled her way out of the purse. Wheatley bent down and picked up Chelly happily. The Androids shared a mechanical sigh of relief with their boss as Wheatley tossed Chelly up and down a few times.

Wheatley held Chelly close and kissed her forehead. "…and how was your day with Gran and Gramps?" he cooed. "You playing hide and seek? You're such a good hider. One time it took me three hours to find you. Mummy yelled at Daddy when she found you in the laundry bin." Wheatley chuckled nervously as Chelly attempted to take his glasses again.

"Chelly is the best at hide and seek. They've probably been looking for her for hours." Angie giggled as Wheatley put Chelly down.

"That very well may be, but how did she get in your purse?" Lil asked, looking at GLaDOS, who just shrugged.

Deciding to leave well enough alone, the group just agreed. As GLaDOS bent down to pick up her purse, it started to wiggle again. Before she could do anything, the fasten snapped open and revealed a turret with its eye glowing deep red at GLaDOS. Everyone jumped back and screamed when the turret's laser tried to focus around the room. Wheatley grabbed the girls and yanked them behind the couch as GLaDOS jumped into Dr. Rattmann's arms. ATLAS and P-Body, making random Kung-Fu movements out of sheer terror, braced themselves for the worst.

"_Bark!"_ the turret yelled as it happily hopped out of GLaDOS's purse. The turret-dog ran around the living room, making sniffing sounds and just in general being a dog.

"Cool, we have a robot dog!" Angie shouted, peeking over the couch. "Grandma, Grandpa, look! We have a dog!"

Dr. Rattmann, holding GLaDOS close, looked somewhat amazed at the turret and its mannerisms. While he didn't think turrets could actually walk on their three legs, he never would have guessed it could do something like this. He looked down at GLaDOS, who glared up at him and pushed herself away. "Keep your hands off me!" she grumbled, straightening herself up.

Angie and Chelly ran up to the turret dog, despite Lil scolding them to stay put. "Oh, you're a cutie!" Angie cooed as the Androids joined them. With everyone fawning over the impromptu pet, Lil glared at GLaDOS and folded her arms. GLaDOS knew she had some explaining to do.

_Later that night_

With the turret dog in sleep mode on a pillow in the living room (the family unanimously named him "Rover", for lack of a better idea), Wheatley waited for Lil to return to the bedroom. When Lil finally did, she didn't look too happy as she closed the bedroom door. "Well, I'm not sure how, but we now have a dog. 'Grandma' agreed to work on it to make sure it stays in that setting and doesn't revert back to killer robot mode."

Wheatley rubbed Lil's shoulders as she sat down beside him on the bed. "She won't tell me how Chelly got in her purse, but I know she'd better start explaining what is going on soon or I'm going to start tossing Androids out of our house!" Lil got up and went to get dressed for bed. "You know, I thought we agreed to keep all things Aperture out of our home. Now, we have three androids in our home, one of them being the very computer that tried to take over my body, and a turret that thinks it's a dog!"

With a soft chuckle Wheatley started to get into his pajamas as well. "Now, love, look at it this way: Angie's wanted a dog, so we got one. It's playful, it's loving and cheerful, it doesn't make a mess and we don't have to feed it. All we have to do is let it recharge at night and play with it. I don't even think it has a mouth, so it won't chew anything. As long as it doesn't get out and we keep it in the house or in the backyard, no one will know we have a turret for a dog."

Lil placed her hand on her belly and sighed. "I don't know…everything seems to be happening so fast." She murmured as Wheatley climbed into bed. Lil soon joined him and tried to relax.

Wheatley wrapped his arms around Lil, which comforted her a little. He knew sleep would be hard tonight, but decided to give it a try anyway.

* * *

His face was like patchwork. His red busted eye glowed brightly with anger as he looked among the crowd of machines. He had repaired himself with whatever he could find and though he still somewhat looked like Wheatley, it was obvious the two were different. For one, _He_ was more eloquent. But despite the patchwork fitting over his busted eye and on parts of his arms and exposed legs, the bots of Aperture took this one very seriously, less they end up like the poor Gardening Core that sat before them on the table.

With pieces of the core on a nearby tabled, _He_ slowly made his way to some of the helper bots and a crowd of personality constructs. "This is what happens when you don't tell me what I want to know." He murmured, pointing to the remains of a personality construct on the table. "She was found by the Security Core wondering around a place I told all of you never to go. She refused to give me the information I wanted and now she's scrap metal waiting to be thrown in the incinerator! Now, find out what made those defective turrets bark like dogs and don't come back until you do!" He shouted, making the helper bots and the constructs scatter.

He had almost completely taken over, while his rule wasn't absolute just yet with the safeguards GLaDOS had put in. He has turned the Central A.I. Chamber into his personal throne room and kept the central chassis connected to the device that gave GLaDOS the ability to look in every now and then. He wanted her to see, wherever she was, that he was slowly gaining control. He was toying with her. It literally took only a yanked cord to disconnect his former overseer from the facility. But he wanted her to know who was in charge now.

"Sir, some of the security bots found this…" murmured the Security Core, as a helper bot handed _Him_ the object. It was a teddy bear that looked like it had sustained some damage in a fall. He looked over it a few times and blinked softly. He gripped the teddy bear tightly and ordered everyone to leave the chamber.

With a few commands in a nearby console, he brought down a monitor that he hacked to show the feed of one of the Androids. He couldn't establish a permanent feed, but what he had recorded angered him. "He stays above ground while I toil down here to bring Aperture back to former glory. You fake…" he murmured, squeezing the teddy bear tightly with his hand. "…you relax for now, but I'm coming for you. I'll have what's mine and you'll rot down here. You're an imposter!"

His angry yelling made the recording shake. On the screen popped a recording of little Chelly playing with the teddy bear he now held in his hand. His eyes widened. "You came…you came here to find Daddy?" he cooed as a sickening smile grew on his patchwork face. "You know…you know he's the fake one and you came to find me!" he laughed insanely. He made a panel come out of the floor and hopped on it, getting closer to the monitor with the recording on it. He traced his finger along the screen and smiled wide.

"Don't worry, my little sweet. Daddy will be coming home soon…"

* * *

**N'cha, my darlings!**

**Whew, this one took a little out of me than I want to admit. But, here it is in all its glory! Soon, we'll be exploring Robo-Wheatley and why he thinks he's the real Wheatley. By the way, it's mostly GLaDOS's fault. So, stay tuned for that!**

**So, did everyone have a good holiday season? I know I did! I mostly get gift cards nowadays, but that's fine. I prefer gift cards, actually. It's easier than telling people what I want because in all honesty, I actually don't know what I want. As a kid, it was so much easier. But alas, adulthood…sigh…**

**Well, here's to another good year, right guys? I'm not promising my next chapter will be up by New Years, because I don't have that type of energy. So, here's to a new year if I don't see you guys then.**

**As always, I wish to thank everyone for their kind words and for helping me keep this project going. It means a lot to me and I look forward to keeping it going. So, that being the case, let me know how I did and we'll just see where this relationship takes us, hmm?**

**Read, review, and be merry, my dears!**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, Dr. Rattmann, ATLAS, and P-Body belong to Valve.**


	8. Insanity From Afar

_One Big Aperture Family_

Insanity From Afar

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function_

_Initiating Log Program_

_Begin When Ready…_

_We got quite a scare when we tested the device yesterday afternoon. The Tiny One went missing for an entire afternoon and we feared the worst. In testing the device, we didn't account for the Tiny One roaming around, though one would think the Cooperative Testing Initiative would have kept a better eye on her. I reprimanded them for failing such a simple assignment later that night. Still, how the Tiny One managed to survive the facility without so much as a scratch is quite intriguing. I believe naming her after the mute lunatic was a good call on the Older One and the Moron's part. We have yet to tell the Older One and the Moron the truth about the Tiny One's brief absence, and the Maniac has advised me against telling them at all. For a maniac, he might be on to something._

_The Tiny One wasn't alone when she returned from the facility. She returned with a fully functioning Aperture Science Sentry Turret. Oddly, this one is defective. Not the defective one would usually encounter, though. Instead of spouting nonsense like the Moron, this one takes on the mannerisms of a common canine. I assume, since the Tiny One can barely form sentences, that the turret template program malfunctioned and caused this turret to start acting like a dog. There are probably at least a dozen turret dogs roaming around the facility at this moment before the program could correct itself._

_The family unanimously named the dog-turret "Rover", though I must admit the name is without originality. I was told by the Older One to work on "Rover" and make sure he (they designated the dog-turret a male for whatever reason) was fit to stay here. Sure enough, this particular turret lacks bullets, and even if it had any, its dog programing won't allow anything to fire from it. I worked on the turret a little more and gave it a fourth leg, making it easier for it to roam around. The Older One has made it clear that "Rover" is not to leave the property. _

_Just for laughs, I also gave it a small slot that is almost indistinguishable unless the little flap opens and programed it to chew on the Moron's newspaper. I told him it was so it could help him replenish energy faster, but actually that one I added in just for me. I guess the Small One and the Tiny One can play fetch with it as well. Of course, they already do that with the Cooperative Testing Initiative._

_Dire news comes to me from the facility. It seems my safeguards are still holding up, but keeping them from being hacked is proving a problem. I am having trouble keeping an eye on the test subjects and it seems the Personality Constructs have started to roam around again. Normally, I wouldn't care. They pose no threat to me. But something is giving them instructions, and I think I know who it is. Time is running short._

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function_

GLaDOS sighed a mechanical sigh and got up from her chair. Fully recharged, GLaDOS left her attic with her purse and made her way downstairs. It was late night, and being recharged at this hour meant GLaDOS was going to be pulling an all-nighter with her research, whether she wanted to or not. The family was sitting in the living room watching a movie. GLaDOS rarely joined in family activities but lately she found herself integrating more into the lives of the Pendleton family.

Wheatley and Lil sat together on the couch, Lil's head on Wheatley's shoulder. Dr. Rattmann sat on the love seat with Angie and Chelly asleep against him. He looked like he was fighting sleep as well. ATLAS and P-Body sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, oddly engrossed with the movie. Rover the turret dog stayed on his pillow, which was located next to the television.

GLaDOS watched the family from her spot on the stairs and then tugged on her sleeve. She wasn't sure what was making her walk down the stairs and sit in Wheatley's chair, but she did it anyway. While Wheatley and Lil didn't seem to notice GLaDOS's arrival (or chose not to), Dr. Rattmann opened his eyes and smiled, nodding toward her. GLaDOS pretended to ignore him and focused on the movie. The Androids noticed their boss had joined them and waved to her before going back to the movie.

Though she relaxed with the family, GLaDOS's mechanical mind kept going back to the readings she observed on her monitor earlier in the day. The only thing that kept her from helping Dr. Rattmann with the device that day was the sudden power spikes in the facility's generators and new chambers that seemed to just appear. Her remote access in her head was shaky at best lately, but she kept it tuned in constantly. Testing was still going on as was production of products. But something told her the "Junk Heap", as she affectionately referred to _Him_ as, was becoming aware of the plight. Something was also telling her he was aware of Chelly's recent venture into the facility and something in her systems made her worry.

_What if that Junk Heap put two and two together and sent that dog-turret after her to monitor the humans?_ GLaDOS thought, making another note in her mechanical brain. This thought worried GLaDOS, but she knew there was little she could do about it at the moment. The safeguards kept him at bay, but for how long, GLaDOS didn't know. All she could do now was wait. Wait, and hope that he was as moronic as she programed him and that he wasn't adapting as fast as the rest of the facility.

GLaDOS slowly closed her eyes and let her mechanical mind wander.

_At the Facility_

The monitors blinked on and off, but that wasn't unusual. He still hadn't gotten everything in the Central A.I. Chamber to work right yet. It was a work in progress, but it was coming close to fruition. He sat on his throne, which was at one point in time the main chassis, and watched on his monitors as everything around the facility went along like clockwork.

He hadn't been in charge long, but he was enjoying it immensely. It didn't take much convincing to the other robots and the constructs, once he proved to them he was a force to be reckoned with. His rule was absolute. No one questioned his law. For the split second when GLaDOS had left and no one was in charge, the bots began to worry. Then, he literally stepped out of the shadows and told them not to worry. To the bots (and to some extent the test subjects that remain aware of the goings-on around the facility), this patchwork modified escort bot was a savior. The cores finally felt like they had purpose again and some even encouraged their new leader in the sealing of the garden.

Only a few of the cores were weary of this new leadership and kept their distance. None of them realized he was the reason their true boss was gone. They didn't realize until it was too late that the reason she and her two androids had left was to seek help. They didn't realize it until _He_ was dismantling any bot or core that disagreed with him that something wasn't right.

Not that there was much any of them could do about it now. Most of the bots knew GLaDOS was still in charge. She was keeping tabs on the facility from afar and the safeguards put into place were probably the only thing keeping _Him_ from taking over completely. She could still make commands and direct testing, but the bots knew she'd eventually lose control.

_He_ found his way to the catwalks outside the Central A.I. Chamber. He had moved the chamber so he could keep a closer eye on the test subjects and the constructs. He overlooked everything, keeping his good eye locked on all the activity going on around him.

"Sir…" shouted a construct coming from below. The core zoomed toward Him and stopped just in front of him. This core, designated the Secretary Core, became his assistant. "…we have data on those test chambers you ordered and it seems they are proving quite…homicidal. We've lost two dozen humans in testing. The Foreman Core suggests we tone it down a bit."

He only nodded and glared at the core with his good and busted eye. "Tell the Foreman Core if I hear any more complaints about what kills the humans and what doesn't, he'll be running a test gauntlet of my own design. But just to be safe, have the bots put in a few more safety protocols. I'm not sure how many of those humans we still have in stasis and I'd rather not waste resources."

The Secretary Core made a nodding motion and zoomed away. Granted, He felt GLaDOS didn't leave him much to work with, but he was doing the best he could. He was only one modified escort bot after all. He closed his eyes softly and dove deep into his memory files, remembering it all. The day he was commanded to leave and kidnap the one called "Lillian" and how GLaDOS had completely rebuilt his body.

_The machines around him were working to capacity. Her systems seemed to be shutting down and there was little to work with. But GLaDOS was resourceful and made the most of her time. The escort bot before her was given new casings and made to look human. Not too human, as his mission was just to go above ground and fetch someone. He had been modified to the point of ridiculousness. At first, he didn't know what to think. He wasn't programed to think. She gave him that gift._

_Of course, at the time it felt like a curse. "Go above and find them. The ones that mute lunatic sired. The Older One and the Smaller One are the only ones I want. I don't care what you do to get them and I certainly don't care what happens to that idiot. I don't need him anymore. Try not to damage the Cooperative Testing Initiative bots too much. I might be able to reprogram them. But your primary mission is to grab the humans. I downloaded their images into your brain so you'll know which ones to grab. Do…not….fail…me…"_

_The images downloaded into his mechanical mind stayed there even after his mission was over and he had been "recycled". The image of the older one, whose name he would later learn was Lillian, floated around as he emerged from the tool shed in the field and made his way to the city, ready to begin his mission._

"Lillian…" He murmured softly, leaning against the railing of the cat walk. "Lillian…how could you betray me? How could you fall for that fake?" he whispered. In his mechanical heart, he couldn't actually blame her. The "ruse" was pretty convincing and even he might have been fooled had he not known the "truth". He gripped the railing tightly, almost bending it with his robot strength. "Don't worry, I know you didn't mean to."

_He_ (or "Robo-Wheatley" as Angie designated him years ago) stalked along the cat walk, watching everything below. He decided that looking at monitors wasn't getting him anywhere and decided to start looking over the test subjects personally. They couldn't see him, but Robo-Wheatley could see them, each one roaming around in their test chambers like hamsters. Robo-Wheatley liked how smoothly things were running and decided to take a short break. "I'm going to check on some vital signs. No disturbances." He ordered. The cores and bots, through their own remote access, agreed with him and let him leave the area.

The cores weren't stupid. They knew where he was going. He was going to his old shrine. The place he lived for three years before he was powerful enough to challenge GLaDOS for power. Robo-Wheatley often went there when he needed to collect his thoughts. The ability to think for himself was also a gift from GLaDOS.

"I know you don't realize it, but my power is growing." He whispered as if talking to someone. "You made me perfect and now here I am. I am almost perfect enough to take your place." Robo-Wheatley made sure he wasn't followed and made his way to a doorway that was marked _**FORBIDDEN**_ in big red paint. This door led to a long hallway lit only by red lights. He had fixed up this hallway just for himself.

She had abandoned this part of the facility long ago. It was useless, just like he was, apparently. When he felt it safe to leave the shrine, he roamed around this abandoned wing. Robo-Wheatley knew how close this wing was to the Incinerator, which is why he called it home. The red lights of the hallway and the fiery gleam of the incinerator down below gave this hallway a haunting glow. Nothing living could survive down here for long, but at this elevation, the catwalk was a safe place to tread. There were other areas close by, but those were in use. This became his sanctuary.

Robo-Wheatley meditated here whenever GLaDOS caught on to him and made his takeover a little harder. Somehow, something useful always found its way down here. That is how he was able to repair himself so quickly and how he was able to remotely usurp GLaDOS from afar. He was recycled not too far from here. He remembered it all too well.

_The chase was over. He had tricked that moron into crashing his motorcycle into the abandoned gas station and now nothing would stop him from completing his mission. He had to admit, though, this human female's constant screaming was starting to aggravate his audible sensors. He had assumed that clutching her tighter would only hurt her (or kill her, and his boss would not like that), so when she finally fainted from the shock of being kidnapped by a Party Escort Android, the quiet was quite welcome._

_When he arrived at the shed, the door automatically opened. He entered without problem and arrived via the elevator to GLaDOS's chamber. The Super Computer was waiting anxiously. "You didn't damage her, did you?" GLaDOS shouted as the bot entered the chamber. Using the mechanical claw on his back, the Escort Bot held Lillian up. She had fainted, but was otherwise unharmed. "Good. She appears undamaged. Hurry and put her in a relaxation chamber. I need to start getting everything ready. It will take a few days to get the facility ready for the procedure, but hopefully the testing should prove whether or not sending you to get her was a waste of time and resources."_

_The Bot knew he had to take praise where he got it from GLaDOS. He nodded his head and left the chamber for the test subject relaxation chambers. Each chamber was a simple room with relaxation beds and toilets in it. He didn't see the point of the toilets, seeing as the test subjects were only awakened for testing and then immediately put back into "storage". He wasn't programed to complain, though. He could adapt the ability to do so, but he knew he'd be scrapped if GLaDOS found out._

_Carefully, The Bot lowered the unconscious Lillian into her relaxation bed and had it close. He pressed a button and watched the chamber turn dark. When the chamber lit again, Lillian was dressed in an Aperture Science Testing Jumpsuit, complete with Long-Fall Boots. When the bed opened again, the Bot looked upon Lillian with wonderment. She looked like the pictures of the Test Subject that got away many years ago. He remembered being a simple bot back then and he remembered dragging her unconscious body back to the Extended Relaxation Wing. Then he himself went into hibernation until that fake idiot woke everyone up._

_That fake. How dare he call himself Wheatley? The Escort Bot sighed mechanically and decided the one called Lillian needed a final touch. He wasn't sure why, but something made him lift Lillian up and using a bit of string he had found, tied her hair into a mid-high ponytail. Now, she was perfect. Very perfect, indeed. He softly touched her skin and quivered at the sensation. He had never felt anything like this and he wanted more. He gently caressed her cheek as she slowly breathed in and out. He purred softly until the intercom interrupted him._

"_What do you think you're doing?!" shouted GLaDOS over the intercom. "Oh…well…still, you could have damaged her! Be more careful! In fact…" GLaDOS had a panel descend underneath the bot and he found himself zooming toward the lower levels. "I think I'm going to recycle you…something tells me I might need you later."_

_The bot screamed and reached for the chamber as he fell…_

Robo-Wheatley found where he wanted to go. A hole in the wall he had carved long ago. There were two ways to enter this area, but he preferred this way. He stooped down to enter and stood in attention to his collection. The room was lit by a red light dangling overhead that he had affixed to the ceiling. This was his shrine. While most of his precious collection was found in the garbage or sailing down the incinerator chutes, Robo-Wheatley seemed to be at home here.

Here is where he meditated and here is where he contemplated his next move. Robo-Wheatley found many other holes in the walls like this, made by the rat that plagued GLaDOS for a while. The rat was long gone. He salvaged what he could and made this his home until it was time to strike.

Sitting down, Robo-Wheatley looked around at the pictures.

"_You are Wheatley…" GLaDOS announced as the modifications were finished. She had been repeating this to him for hours. She wanted to make sure he understood. He understood perfectly. She had given him everything he needed to know, but she wanted to make sure nothing was left out. _

"_I…am…Wheatley…" he murmured, as the computer finished uploading all necessary data into his mechanical brain._

"_Your job is basically to be a living doll for my 'grandchild'. If you fail at this, there is no going back. She loves that idiot so much and as much as I don't want to see her hurt, your job is to make it so she never wants to leave. You are her toy, nothing more. Do you understand? Your only task is to look after my 'Granddaughter'. Her name is Angie. If you forget that, then I really modeled you too much after the moron. Remember that. If she is unhappy, I will destroy you. It won't be pleasant. If I hear her cry, I'll destroy you. You're only lot in life is to be Wheatley. You are her playmate. You are the former Intelligence Dampening Sphere. You are Wheatley. You have his memories, so you must be him. You are Wheatley…"_

"_I am Wheatley…" he murmured._

"_Speak…" GLaDOS murmured, turning her attention to her "Granddaughter"._

_The bot was motionless. The procedure took a lot of time and resources that GLaDOS was running out of. He hadn't powered back on fully and now he knew who he was. Why it all felt so familiar and why he always felt the man on the monitors wasn't who he said he was. He wasn't Wheatley. He was a nasty fake._

"_I said SPEAK!" GLaDOS shouted._

_The bot's eyes opened with a jolt as the table was turned to face a mirror. This felt right. Every detail felt right. The stature, the glasses, the light brown hair, and even the odd accent he spoke in. This was right. He had never felt so alive and now everything made sense. Why he was sent to get rid of the idiot, and why he was sent to fetch the human female. He was Wheatley. He was the true Wheatley and GLaDOS had been nice enough to give him back his identity. She made him a living doll, but he knew he was the real Wheatley. The other was a fake that took his life from him. Now, he wanted it back._

"…'_Ello!"_

Robo-Wheatley turned his attention to the picture on the wall. It was in the center and had a giant red X through it. He found this picture amongst the files that GLaDOS had tossed in the trash. It was old, and it had an employee I.D. number at the very bottom. Under the picture, in big red letters, the word _**FAKE**_ was written over and over again. "Android Hell awaits you, you fake!" he shouted, clawing at the picture. "You stole everything from me! My life, my memories, and now you steal my family!"

He twirled around, facing a wall covered in pictures of Lil and Angie and the Androids. All security footage photos and things he had taken from the trash. The pictures were old, but they were a constant reminder to him that his family was still out there. They didn't know the fake walked among them. They didn't know the "real" Wheatley sat there, pining for them every day. They didn't know, so he couldn't blame them for their treachery. The slowly graced his index finger along a picture of Lil.

"My love…" he murmured softly. "Soon, Aperture will be ours! I'll come back for you and you will rule by my side as my queen! First Aperture will bow to our whims, then…" Robo-Wheatley turned to a broken globe he had found while wondering through the old offices. "The sky is the limit!" he laughed insanely.

Reaching into his pocket, Robo-Wheatley took out a small teddy bear and a few more pictures. "She's beautiful…I knew the moment I sensed her in you that we'd make a beautiful child." He pinned the security photos of Chelly next to the ones of Lil and kept the teddy bear close to him. On the tag of the teddy bear, the words "Property of Chelly Pendleton" were scribbled on, most likely by Angie. He had read this many times since obtaining the stuffed bear.

"Chelly…odd name for a little girl, but you always did seem to know what you were doing." Robo-Wheatley murmured as he sat in the middle of the shrine. He held the teddy bear close to his mechanical chest and sighed softly as the hum of the facility relaxed him. "Oh, my little princess…don't worry, Daddy is going to save you from that fake!" he laughed insanely as he cuddled the teddy bear close.

In his mechanical mind, he enjoyed these lone moments of lucidity.

_She had abandoned him. After giving him back his identity, she simply abandoned him. She just left him there to simmer in the incinerator with a hole in his chest caused by her other bots. He loathed those two with a passion, especially the one called "Blue". He vowed right there that the moment he had a chance, he'd strip those two for parts. But now was not the time for revenge. Now was the time to get things together, most important of all, himself._

_He was falling apart. What Blue didn't damage was done so in the fall. He had landed on one of the chutes and then cascaded to the ledge below. His arm was falling off and his eye had been damaged even more so. His glasses were missing, but he knew his eyes would compensate. He dragged himself out of the incinerator and made his way down the catwalk. She had made it so he could feel pain. She had a sense of humor like that. He walked until he could walk no more, his already damaged systems overexerting themselves._

_He leaned against a wall and immediately fell through it. The cheap designers from the time before would have made this place out of the cheapest materials possible. Inside this wall was a nook that was big enough for him to stand up and move around in. Not that he had a chance to do that, as his systems immediately shut down and he fainted onto the floor._

_When he awoke a few hours later, his systems were charged to the point where he could sustain himself. He dragged himself out of his nook and made his way toward the incinerator. Nearby would be the walkway to the trash wing. What wasn't burnt was usually thrown down there. This is where he'd find what he needed. _

_He had to use what he could. He repaired himself in his little nook after he rigged one of the monitors he had stolen (GLaDOS wasn't paying attention) from an observation room to play security feeds. He watched her try to become the woman he had kidnapped. He watched as the FAKE lodged the empty construct onto her chassis and pronounced his love. This made his lubricants boil with rage. No, not lubricants. Blood. It made his blood boil. He watched as everything suddenly went back to normal and how she just let them leave. She let his family leave with that FAKE._

_It took weeks, but he finally fixed himself to the point where shutting down randomly wouldn't be a problem. He looked like a doll. He couldn't do much for his busted eye, but he could see out of it for the most part. His clothes were tattered and he had sewn up his exposed parts and got to work. What he found in the trash he used to partially usurp GLaDOS. He knew he couldn't do much at the moment. But he knew he could still make it so she was aware something wasn't right._

_Then, after three years of silently plotting and building, he decided to strike._

He lavished himself in his shrine, meditating amongst his treasures. One treasure eluded him constantly. He wasn't sure where she had put it, but the one thing he felt would make him complete was out of his grasp. The empty construct the _**FAKE**_ used to quell GLaDOS long enough to release Lillian. His reasoning his own, Robo-Wheatley felt if he had that construct, wherever it was floating around, he could prove he was the real Wheatley and that everything had been stolen from him.

"I'm the real one…" he murmured, clutching the teddy bear close. "I'm the real Wheatley. You're a fake. You took my life from me and now I want it back!" he squeezed the teddy bear so hard, the stuffing was coming out. "I want my life back. I want my family back. I want what you stole from me with the help of that witch and her androids!" Robo-Wheatley threw the teddy bear against the wall, making it erupt with stuffing and softly landing near the broken core receptacle.

With that, he let out a horrific shout. It resonated throughout the facility, causing the bots and the constructs to cower and hide.

Eventually, he came back to the Central A.I. Chamber, only to be told by the Secretary Core that the safeguards had been put up again. Robo-Wheatley didn't look mad. He looked quite placid. "Let them have this one. I'm feeling a bit generous today." He murmured, making his way to the chassis.

"Sir?" asked the Secretary Core.

"You heard me. Don't do anything. They expect me to counter and I won't give them the satisfaction. Not this time, anyway. Next time we strike, it'll be stronger. Now, those special rooms I had the bots make…" Robo-Wheatley took his place on the chassis, sitting on it like a throne.

The Secretary Core made a nodding motion. "Yes, the Foreman Core had his best nanobots on the job. They should be ready in a matter of weeks. The exact specifications will take a little longer, what with resources being so scarce. But the Foreman Core said not to worry. We've been through worse, according to him."

Robo-Wheatley nodded and leaned back as a few cords latched into the back of his head. "Good. Go make sure the testing is going as it should. I feel a bit…empty…"

The little core made a nodding motion and zoomed off. While he didn't need it like GLaDOS and the _**FAKE **_before him, Robo-Wheatley still had a small urge in his system for testing. The Euphoric Solution helped keep him calm, but he knew only one thing could really calm his nerves. He made a monitor come down and made it play recordings of Lil and the family. He grinned sinisterly and drifted off into sleep mode.

* * *

GLaDOS's eyes jolted open. She wasn't sure if she was able to dream, but the images that poured into her head gave her a terrible feeling. "Grandma?" chirped a little voice next to the chair. GLaDOS looked over and saw Angie tugging on her sleeve.

Apparently, the movie was over. Wheatley held sleeping Chelly close and walked behind Lil toward the stairs. Dr. Rattmann and ATLAS headed toward the kitchen to get to the den and P-Body was on her way upstairs. GLaDOS looked around again and sat up. Rover the turret-dog somehow found his way to her lap at some point in time and yipped happily as GLaDOS sat up. She glared at the turret and pushed him off her lap. He whimpered and ran behind Angie, shaking.

"Grandma, the movie is over. It's time for bed." Angie chirped. GLaDOS looked around and rubbed her head. An odd throbbing from within her systems wasn't giving way and for some reason, her power reserve meter was low. Whatever happened to her while she was in her nap mode seemed to deplete her reserves, but she didn't feel damaged at all. All she saw were images, but GLaDOS seemed to get the message loud and clear.

GLaDOS stood slowly and made sure she had everything. "That movie must have been particularly boring if I receded into sleep mode during its course." GLaDOS chided, pretending not to be frightened by the images she saw in her mechanical mind. "Well, go on upstairs, Small One. I'm sure that sister of yours doesn't want you staying up." GLaDOS started for the stairs and then felt a tug on her dress.

"Grandma, I saw your fidget a bit in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare?" Angie asked.

"Impossible. I'm a highly advanced android. I am sophisticatedly designed for whatever your human world throws at me. I am not programed to have 'nightmares' or dreams for that matter. Your question is unnecessary." With that, GLaDOS made her way upstairs, hiding how weak she was from her depleted energy. Angie folded her arms and sighed, following GLaDOS upstairs.

Angie was still right behind GLaDOS, who was moving slowly. "Sometimes I hear Wheatley get up at night. I know he's been having nightmares. He used to have them a lot before we moved into this house." Angie's revelation stopped GLaDOS on the middle stair. "He hides it from Lil, but I know he's still having them. I used to think moving to this house was a good thing. But when Wheatley started having nightmares again, I stopped believing that. Sometimes I wish we would have stayed in the apartment."

"It's illogical for you to think that." GLaDOS murmured. "You moved into this current dwelling because that apartment was too small. This is a good dwelling for a growing family, even if it is being led by that moron. Whatever is causing his nightmares, remember that he must overcome it himself. If you tell the Older One before he has a chance to, it could cause irreparable damage. Don't say anything until the Moron and your sister have a chance to talk. He'll only talk to her when he is ready."

Angie nodded and hugged GLaDOS's legs. She made her way upstairs as GLaDOS stood on the middle stair alone.

Something told her that her coming here might have been more than a vacation or temporary sanctuary. She was starting to think she was somehow keeping this family together. A very selfish thought on her part, but GLaDOS liked feeling important. GLaDOS decided to have a long talk with Wheatley soon. But for now, her energy reserves needed to be replenished and sleep mode in her specialized computer chair was the only thing that could fix it.

With a proud smirk, GLaDOS went upstairs.

* * *

**N'cha, my loves!**

**Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I've been super busy what with the New Year and all. I've been working on a few of my back burner projects along with this one, so if you've seen any of those update, that's why this was so late. I got a lot going on now.**

**In my neck of the woods (the Southern United States), we've been having odd fluctuations in temperature. One day it's ungodly hot the next it's ungodly cold. When it comes to the south, there is rarely a middle ground. I like to go on walks with my dog but it's either been too cold or raining or I've just been lazy. But I decided rain, shine, or cold, I've got to start walking again.**

**Ahh, Luna you're adventures never cease!**

**So, how did I do? What do you guys think? Insanity takes many forms and Robo-Wheatley's seemed to take this form. His reasoning is his own, even if we don't think it's logical. Then again, when you're an android designed by GLaDOS, your own reasoning may come into question. Trust me on this, my loves; things will come together quite soon.**

**The next few chapters will focus on life around the Pendleton household and even a few with some more flashbacks from Wheatley. You guys liked flashbacks, right? Well, I have quite a few in store for you. Oh, and that thing going on between GLaDOS and Dr. Rattmann? Well…*blush blush* stay tuned to find out!**

**As always, I appreciate all your support and I wish you all a belated new year and I hope this year brings us all good fortune! And now…sleep! So, don't forget to leave a review and let me know how I did! I sometimes go back and redo chapters if I don't find them satisfactory. So, let me know how I did and we'll go from there!**

**Read, review, and be merry my doves!**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, ATLAS, P-Body, and Dr. Rattmann belong to Valve.**


	9. Another Stranger Me

_One Big Aperture Family_

Another Stranger Me

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function_

_Initiating Log Program_

_Begin When Ready…_

_So, the children are aware of the Moron's plight? How interesting. For children, the Small One and the Tiny One are quite intelligent. I sometimes forget the Tiny One is the product of the Older One and the Idiot. She seems to take after her mother in the intelligence department but she does have mannerisms of the Moron. She's always unusually happy, she seems to take pride in small accomplishments (even for a toddler), and even though she can barely form sentences, she babbles incoherently until someone shoves a sippy cup in her mouth. But she is a fast learner, which comes in handy._

_But the children seem to be the least of my worries. Things have grown quiet at the facility again, despite my latest safeguard upgrade. While I doubt he's actually given up, I think I may have stumped him this time. I hope so, anyway. _

_Hope…what a useless thing to do. A very human thing. I hate to say it, but I think I'm letting these humans grow on me. I should probably avoid contact with them for a while. I might have to, seeing as my energy reserve seems to be malfunctioning and uses up energy even as I enter into sleep mode. Orange has also been complaining about odd "shivers" which is the best way she could describe it. I'll run a full diagnostic on both Blue and Orange when I am done with my own repairs. I estimate it will take a few days to repair anything that might be broken. I hope the Maniac doesn't miss me too much while I'm incapacitated._

_Wait, why do I care?_

_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function_

The alarm clock read two a.m. and it was blinking. If it wasn't obvious to Lil that Wheatley was still having nightmares before, it was pretty obvious now. Lil woke up to Wheatley gripping his pillow tightly and grunting as if he had a stomachache. Lil sat up and put her hand over Wheatley, but took it away softly. Lil felt that Wheatley was distancing himself from her. Even during the day when the two ran errands or ran the bookstores, Wheatley didn't seem to keep himself near Lil like he used to.

While the thought of him finally being comfortable with humanity enough to do things on his own was appealing to Lil, she still felt lonely. After establishing her equilibrium, Lil got up from bed and left the bedroom after putting her bedroom slippers on.

Her due date was in a few weeks, and though everyone else was keeping a close eye on Lil, she was sad that Wheatley wasn't. She closed the bedroom door slowly and started for the stairs. The house was so quiet, it scared Lil a bit. Outside, the snowstorm that the weathermen had been warning everyone about was starting to happen. While Lil wasn't too scared that they'd need to leave the house for any reason (the Jeep was an all-terrain vehicle built for rough weather like this), Lil still found the snow quite eerie.

Upon stepping on the last step, Lil saw a little light come from the living room. Before she knew it, their turret dog, Rover, emerged from sleep mode and made his way to Lil. He barked once until Lil shushed him, from then on only making simple whimpering noises. Lil sighed and made her way toward the kitchen. Rover followed loyally, his legs making odd _tip-tip-tip_ noises as he walked on the hardwood floor. "I'd ask if you need to go outside to use the bathroom, but I think that'd just be insulting my intelligence and yours."

Lil poured herself some orange juice and sat at the table. Rover just stared at her with his one eye. "I'm glad she gave you four legs. I bet walking around on three was tough. I know it sucks staying inside all the time. I know exactly how you feel. I'm so close to my due date that Wheatley doesn't want me away from the house too much. Chelly was actually early, but I think this one might be a little late. The attention is nice, but sometimes it gets pretty lonely, you know?"

Rover made a soft barking noise and sat by Lil's feet. "Well, at least I have you. I'm glad you aren't like your cousins at the facility. I hate those things. Did I tell you I had to run tests for GLaDOS once? She tried to steal my body but I doubt she wants it now. What with me being pregnant and all. She likes to call me the 'Fat Older One'. Of course, she calls Wheatley 'Moron' and Dr. Rattmann 'Maniac'."

Sighing softly, Lil played with her glass. "I worry about Wheatley. He's so distance lately. I know he has trouble sleeping, but I figured it was just because we were in a new house." Lil got up without putting her glass in the sink and walked to the living room. Rover followed behind her loyally. "New houses take some time to get used to. I know I had a hard time getting used to all the space. But we've been here for a while now and with the baby almost here, I had hoped things would settle. Then 'Grandma' and her two companions show up out of nowhere and start living in our attic. Of course, then you appear out of nowhere. Literally."

Rover barked and sat next to Lil, who perched herself on the couch. She fell back with an "oofff" and tried to sit up. "I should probably start using Dr. Rattmann's cane whenever I sit down so I have some type of leverage to get up."

After settling into the spot on the couch, Lil reached under the coffee table and pulled out a big book. Rover looked at Lil with his one eye anxiously. "I have tons of these photo albums. My mom has always loved taking pictures and I guess she passed it on to me and Angie. She was always taking pictures of things. My dad told me she was just excited to be out and about, since her illness kept her inside. I think Mom just wanted to remember what life outside our apartment was like when she was confined to bed."

Lil looked like she was fighting back tears and opened the photo album. "This is our newest one. The earliest pictures go back to mine and Wheatley's wedding." Lil opened the album to the first page and pointed to a picture of a big reception. Rover looked over and then looked at Lil again. "It was a nice wedding. It was a beautiful spring morning and everything was just perfect." Lil chuckled and turned the page again. "Oh, here are a few good ones; Wheatley bought a new camera and kept taking pictures of me when we were at the hospital." Lil closed her eyes and sat back.

"Wheatley was out at the time. I sent him on a few errands because I was so close to my due date. I remember going into labor and having to get my friend May to drive me to the hospital because Dr. Rattmann had to stay home with Angie. When she called Wheatley and told him I was having the baby, Wheatley literally dropped everything he was doing and nearly crashed getting to the hospital." Lil laughed softly, placing her hand on her stomach. "When he finally got here, Wheatley was in such a panic he couldn't figure out what was up or down. I think he got lost in the gift shop, too."

Lil didn't notice Rover laying down and resting against her. "Eventually he found his way to my room and stayed with me the entire time. When Chelly was born, he fainted. After he came to, they put Chelly in his arms and I think it was love at first sight." Lil glanced over at the turret dog and sighed happily. "You know, I never thought I'd get used to Wheatley or the past he shares with my mother. But now we're married and expecting our second child together."

Sighing softly, Lil leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "I'm scared, actually." She murmured. "I've never admitted that I've been scared of anything. I always felt I needed to keep up a strong front for Angie, but I'm actually pretty scared of losing all this. Everything Wheatley and I have worked so hard to gain together. I remember when we met. I didn't know what to think of him, just standing there with Angie at that abandoned gas station. I was sure he was some kind of pervert or homeless guy. But something in my mind told me I could trust him. I've never really been religious but I do believe there are other worlds out there beyond human comprehension. At first, I didn't believe him about just rejoining the human species, but after watching him interact with everything like he just woke up from a long nap, I started to believe him. Then he told me he was 'seeing ghosts' of another time…"

Lil put her hand over her mouth, trying not to cry. She looked up at the mantle, specifically at the picture at the beginning. In a silver frame sat a very old picture of Wheatley that Angie had found when they scoured the old part of the city. Lil told Wheatley she didn't mind having it around, but Lil often found herself feeling jealous of the woman in that picture. She knew it was silly to be jealous of a ghost, but Lil often felt that way. She sighed softly and closed the photo album. "I wish Wheatley would tell me what's wrong."

_Meanwhile_

Wheatley gripped the pillow tightly and tossed onto his side. Sleep was his enemy tonight and it was giving him quite a struggle. He didn't even notice Lil wasn't beside him anymore.

"_Who's that bloke, Mr. Harvey?" Wheatley asked as Mr. Harvey slowly took him off the rail. Wheatley was always told to never jump off the rail or he'd die. He wasn't sure what death was, but by the way Mr. Harvey cringed at the word, he wasn't volunteering to find out. Mr. Harvey always took Wheatley down for maintenance. After hooking Wheatley up to his console, Mr. Harvey started typing. Wheatley was of course referring to the picture Mr. Harvey kept on his desk near the keyboard._

_Wheatley narrowed his optic a bit and then looked up at Mr. Harvey. The picture was of Mr. Harvey without his snazzy lab coat standing with a really tall man. The two looked pretty overjoyed in the picture, which appeared to be taking place at some sort of party. Something about this man seemed familiar, but Wheatley couldn't put his nonexistent finger on it._

"_Oh, he's…an old friend. You don't need to worry about it." Mr. Harvey answered as he began his routine maintenance on Wheatley. Aperture was full of secrets and Wheatley often heard the other cores talk (they ones that had the ability to speak without breaking into inane banter randomly) about happenings around the facility._

_Wheatley kept staring at the picture. The tall man had a pretty wide grin and he wore the color blue well. He had glasses on, so Wheatley deduced this man couldn't see too well. "Well, he must have been a pretty happy man, just sitting there with you. I enjoy sitting here with you, Mr. Harvey. I bet he and I would have scads to talk about. With me being so tiny and him being so tall. I bet we'd go on all day. Tall and tiny talk as it were. You'd be able to chime in, though. Not polite to leave people out of a conversation."_

_Mr. Harvey only chuckled and continued his work. Wheatley didn't know why, but something about this man was familiar. "Say, Mr. Harvey, has this man ever been to the labs? Given a visitors pass or anything? I feel like I know him or at least met him once."_

_Jolting up, Mr. Harvey took the picture and put it away. "Wheatley, remember that talk we had about asking too many questions?" he warned, going back to his work._

"…_that too many questions cause me to shut down and it's getting bloody expensive to keep fixing me." Wheatley recited, nodding his optic back and forth. Mr. Harvey nodded and went then started typing at his console. Wheatley didn't like the secrets that floated around. He sometimes felt funny when talking to Mr. Harvey, but Mr. Harvey often ignored it._

_Wheatley had begun to notice some people acted strangely whenever he was around, and not the normal "Ignore that moron sphere and keep going" strange. Sometimes, he'd see the nice front desk lady and he'd say hello to her when he passed by. The first time he did that, she burst into tears and ran away. Wheatley had asked Mr. Harvey if that was a normal reaction for women. Mr. Harvey didn't answer._

"_Hey, Mr. Harvey! You never told me how that date you had went!" Wheatley shouted. Mr. Harvey stopped and looked at Wheatley with an awkward smile. "Did you two 'go all the way'?" Wheatley made a winking motion with his handles and his optic._

"_Wheatley! Where did you learn that?!" Mr. Harvey shouted, trying to hide his blushing face._

"_I heard some of the other guy scientists say it. Well, what is 'all the way' and did you go there? Was it nice? Where there those fancy frilly drinks I hear that women like? I think they like them, I mean you told me they like them but I don't know what they are. Where there birds? I have a whole file on birds in my memory banks!" As Wheatley prattled on, Mr. Harvey chuckled softly and shook his head. "Hey, did your tall friend have a girlfriend?" Wheatley asked, out of nowhere._

_Mr. Harvey stopped everything a looked at the metal ball with shock. Wheatley squinted his optic and looked away from Mr. Harvey. "I don't know why I asked that, but he looks like a guy who'd have a lady at home waiting for him. Maybe, I don't know. Something ticked in my system when I asked that. She'd probably be shorter than him…"_

"_Wheatley, stop…" Mr. Harvey warned._

"…_this really dull blond color for hair, maybe past her shoulders…"_

"_Wheatley…"_

"…_fair skin, a few freckles on her cheeks, and these big green eyes that just lit up a room…I bet her name was…"_

"…_Wheatley, stop right now!"_

"…_Pam…"_

_Wheatley's optic widened and he then looked around as Mr. Harvey typed wildly on the computer. "…Harvey? Harvey, what's happened to me? What's going on?!" Wheatley shouted right before his eye went blank. Before Wheatley could do any damage to himself, Mr. Harvey shut him down manually. He'd have to go into Wheatley's memories and start deleting stuff again. The program wasn't perfect and there were cases where some cores regained their memories. Mr. Harvey knew what happened to those cores. He refused to lose his best friend again._

Wheatley woke up with a shout and breathed heavily. He felt himself sweating hard and couldn't seem to ignore the horrible shock going through his body from head to toe. Wheatley found his glasses and sat on the side of the bed. His side of the bed was no drenched in sweat and so was his pajama top. Wheatley slowly unbuttoned his pajama shirt and threw it in the clothes hamper. Though weather outside was frigid but Wheatley's body temperature was as hot as a summer day.

The master bedroom had a big window right over the bed. Wheatley liked that because he was always first to see how the weather was in the morning. Lil, being about 5'5" without shoes on, usually had to stand all the way up before she could see out the window. Wheatley, being as tall as he was, could just sit up and see outside. It was snowing pretty hard now and pressing his hand on the glass, he could feel the cold.

Deciding Lil might be chilly (or not, her hormones kept her body temperature fluctuating) Wheatley decided to go get a spare blanket from their closet. It was only when he looked up from the closet did he realize that Lil wasn't in bed. Though he wasn't panicked, Wheatley decided to go look for her. He deduced since the bathroom door wasn't closed (they had been married for three years and she still kept the bathroom door closed when she used it) that Lil wasn't in their bathroom.

Not bothering to grab his bedroom robe, Wheatley left the master bedroom and started for the living room. As he descended down the stairs, he immediately saw Lil sitting on the couch. "Lil?" he whispered, walking into the living room. Lil looked up from the photo album she had on her lap and smiled a tired smile. "You shouldn't be up. You need your rest." Wheatley reached for Lil, only to hear a growling noise behind her. Rover poked his head around Lil and growled at Wheatley.

Lil shushed Rover and invited Wheatley to sit with her. "He's been up with me, keeping me company." Lil giggled as she closed the photo album. "Wheaters, is something wrong?" she asked bluntly. She knew she'd never get an answer out of Wheatley if she pussy-footed around. Of course, Lil was a very direct person either way. "I know you sometimes zone out and lose yourself in a flashback, well that's what Angie calls them, but I know you've started having nightmares again. Why didn't you tell me?"

Wheatley sighed and leaned against the back of the couch. "I didn't want you to worry. We have enough on our shoulders as it is what with the baby, the kids, and now GLaDOS and the Androids. I didn't want you to stress out and become sick."

Rover jumped down from the couch and wandered back to his pillow where he initiated sleep mode again. "Wheaters, I'm your wife. You know you can come to me if you have a problem. For a marriage to work, both husband and wife have to talk to each other. I know it's tough having all these memories still circling around in your head and coming out whenever they feel like it, but if you need anyone to talk to about it, you can always come to me. We can figure out something together."

Lil laid her head on Wheatley's bare chest and sighed softly as he stroked her hair. Wheatley suddenly felt better and sighed happily. "I'm sorry I've been hiding it from you, Lil. I just didn't want you to worry." Wheatley kissed the top of Lil's head and reclined his head back. He felt like sleep might actually come to him tonight and he'd have enough energy to go outside in the morning and play in the snow with the girls.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching them from the top stair. This little figure slowly made its way down stairs and with a small whimper, got Wheatley and Lil's attention. "Chelly?" Lil whispered as Wheatley got up.

Wheatley walked over to Chelly and picked her up. "Why are you out of bed, Love?" he whispered, holding her close.

"Bad dream…" Chelly whispered in her toddler speak. "Big scary place and talking ball!" Chelly raised her hands and waved them about as if trying to describe her dream. Wheatley cocked an eyebrow as Chelly continued. "A man turned talking ball off and played on the computer." All of this was in toddler speak, but Wheatley deciphered it well.

Lil, having finally gotten up from the couch, waddled over to Wheatley and took Chelly from him. Wheatley, wide-eyed, stood in his spot. "Wheaters, you coming?" Lil asked as she carried Chelly upstairs. Wheatley nodded and leaned against the bannister. When he heard Chelly's door shut and then the master bedroom door shut, Wheatley raced upstairs and knocked on the attic door.

The door opened slowly, revealing GLaDOS. Wheatley was starting to wonder if she ever actually slept (or shut down for sleep mode, as it were). "What do you want at this hour?" she murmured.

With his fists clenched, Wheatley swallowed hard and glared at GLaDOS. "Is it possible for my daughter to have the same dreams as me?" Wheatley asked. GLaDOS just stared at Wheatley. She folded her arms and just stared at him. "A little while ago, Chelly woke up around the same time as me complaining of having a nightmare. It was a particularly memorable nightmare and tonight, she describes my most recent nightmare in the best way a toddler can. Now, answer my question."

GLaDOS let out a mechanical sigh and kept her arms folded. "I have researched dreams and there have been cases where children will have corresponding dreams to their parents. It's a phenomenon that even I find quite intriguing and is in need of further study. I'd dive into it more if I didn't have other projects. You're obviously close to the Tiny One, so it's not unusual. If these nightmares are causing you this much panic, imagine what they are doing to her." GLaDOS watched Wheatley grab some of his hair and lean against the doorframe. "I suggest you find out what is causing these nightmares soon or risk much more than your own sanity." With that, GLaDOS slammed the attic door shut.

Lil was already asleep when Wheatley came back into the master bedroom. Wheatley sat up in bed with his arms folded, thinking about his nightmare situation. To him, it was like watching a really bad movie that starred him and his old handler, Mr. Harvey. Sometimes, Wheatley felt like a different person each time he had a nightmare.

Wheatley slowly sunk into bed as Lil turned over and wrapped her arm around him. Wheatley sighed and tried not to think about his nightmares anymore. He feared sleep now that there might be more at stake. For the most part, if Chelly was sharing his nightmares, it wasn't an every night occurrence like it was for Wheatley. This gave him some comfort as he lay back on his pillow.

_Wheatley slowly regained power and found himself once again hooked up to Mr. Harvey's computer. He must have been asking too many questions again. Mr. Harvey warned him about that, but of course, Wheatley didn't listen and now he was getting another program check. Wheatley hated these. He noticed Mr. Harvey wasn't around and glanced around. "Probably stepped out for something to eat. Yep, eating, certainly a human thing. I wonder what it's like to taste stuff. Mr. Harvey sometimes eats at his desk and it seems to make him happy."_

_The office door opened and in stepped Mr. Harvey holding a can of the fizzy drink he liked so much. "Oh, you're awake?" Mr. Harvey put his can down and closed his office door. "I had to go back into your programs again, Wheatley. You were out for a good while, so I decided to get some lunch."_

"_Ahh yes! Lunch! You talk about lunch all the time but I have no idea what you humans do at lunch. I've been in the dining hall whenever you have this 'lunch' thing, but all I see is people talking and laughing and yelling at me to stop bothering them while they're eating. It looks like jolly fun, but the whole eating concept seems a bit weird to me."_

_Mr. Harvey chuckled and finished his updates. He unplugged Wheatley from the console (which caused Wheatley a bit of discomfort) and picked him up. "It's as fun as a necessity can be." Mr. Harvey answered as he held Wheatley up to the management rail. "It's about time for me to head home, Wheatley."_

"_Home…" Wheatley murmured softly. "…do I have a home, Mr. Harvey?" he asked._

"_Well, they put you in charge of patrolling the Extended Relaxation Wing, so I guess that can be your home. Of course, then there are the core receptacles where you 'sleep' when not in use. I guess one of those can be a home as well. I know you share that big room it's located in with some of the other cores."_

_Wheatley blinked and followed Mr. Harvey. "What is your home like, Mr. Harvey? Does it have a core receptacle? Do you sleep in a relaxation bed? Can I come visit you like you visit me?" Wheatley seemed excited about that last part, wiggling his handles around._

_Mr. Harvey chuckled and started taking off his lab coat. "No, I live in an apartment. I wish I could show you sometime, but I could get into a lot of trouble if I took you out of the facility." Wheatley didn't see Mr. Harvey get a contemplative look on his face. Wheatley noted that sometimes Mr. Harvey looked at Wheatley and sighed longingly as if missing a friend, and wondered if the tall man in that picture he often saw on Mr. Harvey's desk was the "best friend" that left Mr. Harvey behind. Whenever Wheatley thought about the tall man, he'd get a mild discomfort in his systems, so he decided not to think about him much._

"_Can I be honest with you, Mr. Harvey?" Wheatley asked. Mr. Harvey wasn't really paying attention but he nodded anyway. "When you go home at the end of the night, I get lonely. The other cores, nice blokes by the way, don't seem to like to talk about the same stuff that me and you do. That one core that talks about nothing but flowers seems to get on my nerves. I don't have nerves like a human would, but you get the idea, Mr. Harvey. I really hope that one day I can go home with you. When I'm around you, I just feel…happy."_

_Looking up, Mr. Harvey smiled at Wheatley and started to leave the area. "We'll see, Wheatley. Maybe you can…but don't tell anyone, alright? Just go back to your department and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" With that, Mr. Harvey left for the night. Wheatley decided to go back to his department, feeling a little better about his talk with Mr. Harvey._

_Wheatley always felt better after talking to Mr. Harvey. He knew that as long as he had Mr. Harvey, everything was going to be fine._

Moaning softly, Wheatley turned in his sleep and pulled the covers over him again. This dream seemed to be peaceful, but Wheatley still moaned a bit as he tossed and turned. The light from the street lamps outside could be seen through their window as the snow continued to pile on the sill. The Pendleton household was calm and peaceful for another night. Wheatley turned over and put his arm around Lil again, bringing her closer. He woke up just for a moment to kiss her on the cheek and then snuggled close to her.

Enjoying each other's warmth, Wheatley and Lil slept the cold night away.

* * *

As the children ran around outside with the Androids, GLaDOS kept a close vigil from the kitchen door window. Wheatley and Lil had left for the day to take care of their bookstores, leaving Dr. Rattmann in charge. ATLAS and P-Body ran around outside with the children, building snowmen, making snow angels, and being pelted with snowballs. Rover was outside too, chasing the shouting children as the Androids chased them with snowballs.

"The Moron came up to me last night with an odd question." GLaDOS said after a long pause. Dr. Rattmann looked up from his coffee and his face urged GLaDOS to continue. "He asked me about the probability of him and the Tiny One sharing dreams."

Dr. Rattmann stood up and walked to GLaDOS, joining her at the window. Outside, the kids ran around in their big coats and the Androids (who didn't need to wear coats but did anyway) with them as the window blew snow from the trees and into the yard. "I'm not a metaphysical person. Well, not when I've had my medication. But there are some that believe people can transfer dreams to their loved ones without realizing it. It's not something that can be controlled or learned. Those dreams are manifesting for a reason. It's only a matter of time before Lil and Angie start having nightmares. I have no idea what could be causing their on slot as of late, seeing as the dreams started before you three arrived."

GLaDOS, standing pretty close to Dr. Rattmann, nodded. "I've studied many things that were uploaded into me. Mythology interested me a lot during my time with those cores stuck on me. I found it a nice escape from the voices that were constantly pouring into my brain. Some ancient cultures believe dreams are a window into another plain of existence. I don't know if anything like that exists inside the Moron's mind, of all places, but it's something to ponder. I believe he's still somehow linked to the facility. It would explain how he knew of our presence before he opened the door the night we arrived."

Dr. Rattmann looked around and then at GLaDOS. "A place like Aperture stays with you. The things in Aperture stay with you. The _feelings_ and _people_ stay with you." Not taking her eyes off the children outside, GLaDOS pondered what Dr. Rattmann said, even when he went down to the den. GLaDOS focused on Chelly, who had decided to bury Rover under some snow.

"I know what's causing the nightmares…now I have more reason to stop him…"

* * *

**N'cha, my loves!**

**Snow seems to be a theme with me lately, huh? ****A few days ago, my part of the world got a snow advisory. Of course, nothing came of it. It was mostly sleet and heavy wind, but nothing too damaging. Yesterday, it was 70 degrees (Fahrenheit) and sunny. I don't know how to explain that one, but it is what it is. **

**So, if you've all been paying attention, and if not I won't judge you, I've been updating a few of my other stories as well. My stories over in the Fable area have been getting some pretty frequent updates and now I have another story up over there. I'm not abandoning any stories, but I have been deleting a few of them. So, to those who faved or followed "Mara Save Us" over in the Elder Scrolls area, I'm sorry. I had something, and then I didn't. I hate that I had to delete it, but I don't think it's fair to just leave something sitting there. A few others might start biting the dust as well, but don't worry, this story isn't going anywhere anytime soon.**

**I want to thank you all for your patience and your support. I've had a lot going on in my life recently that has kept me from the computer, but I'm here again and ready to get back to work for you guys! So, that being said, don't forget to leave a review and let me know how I did! Go visit some of my other stories as well. They are a kick, or so I have been told lol.**

**As always, I appreciate all reviews (please keep it clean) and I welcome any and all questions. So, feel free to drop me a line here or over at dA. Oh! Before I forget! I hope to start posting this story over at dA in the foreseeable future. As soon as I edit some errors here and there, expect to see them up soon. How soon? I dunno yet.**

**As always, read, review, and be merry my lovelies!**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, Dr. Rattmann, ATLAS, and P-Body belong to Valve.**


	10. Aunt P-Body's Day Out

_One Big Aperture Family_

Aunt P-Body's Day Out

_Cooperative Testing Initiative Journal Entry Log_

_Designation: Orange (P-Body)_

_Begin When Ready…_

_We have been here for quite some time, but Boss (Designation: Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System or "GLaDOS") does not seem to be in a hurry to leave the humans. She reasons it is because we may not have a home to go back to. Both ATLAS (Designation: Blue) and I believe she has lost control of the facility and refuses to admit it. Of course, what little control she has left is used to keep "HIM" from finding us, though I know she will not admit that either. Of course, ATLAS and I are not ones to complain. We like it here with the humans._

_The Small One (Former Designation: Tiny Human; Current Designation: Angie) seems to enjoy our company. She does this thing called "Ballet" and she has asked me to help her practice. I have no qualms with that. ATLAS has been busying himself with numerous errands the two male humans have around this dwelling. The Mad Hatter (Designation: Dr. Douglas Rattmann) and the former Intelligence Dampening Sphere (Designation: Wheatley) have been on the move for weeks getting the home ready for the new baby._

_As reported before, the Older One (Designation: Lil) is with child and due in a few weeks. I often wonder what it is like to carry a child like that. It looks uncomfortable. The Older One is always complaining about her feet hurting or the baby kicking. But despite the complaints, she seems to enjoy pregnancy. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a child. When it comes to biology, I believe Boss intentionally left those files lacking._

_I doubt ATLAS would want to have a family with me, anyway. He seems content with life, helping the male humans and looking for any opportunity to show off his strength. While most of my duties involve helping with repairs to the various electronics around the home, I am also in charge of looking after the children. They seem to like me._

_The Tiny One (Designation: Chell or "Chelly") keeps me the most company during the day. Her hobbies (which I recorded in previous logs) seem to change every day. Yesterday, she took my hand and instructed me to follow in her toddler speak. I can understand it, oddly. The Mad Hatter explained that her "toddler speak" was not unlike mine and ATLAS's machine language. Why Boss has not given us the ability to speak English, I do not know. The destination was apparently her bedroom, where she instructed me to sit down and join her and her toys for some sort of meeting. It involved empty plastic cups and her making sipping noises when no liquid was in the cup._

_We recently acquired a pet, though not in the traditional sense of the word "pet". This pet is a turret from our facility! According to Boss, something on the turret production line must have malfunctioned, creating a line of "Canine Turrets". She believes that somewhere in the facility, a pack of wild "dogs" is roaming around. The family has designated this creature "Rover". Upon research, I discovered that is a pretty standard name for a dog. The Older One said it was because she could not think of anything else._

_If I may be honest, I am worried. I know eventually we will have to go back. But I do not want to leave the humans again. ATLAS and I have decided that if it comes down to it, we will find a way to stay here with the humans. We like it above ground and they might need our help with the Tiniest One on the way. I do not know how Boss will take the news._

_Cooperative Testing Initiative Bot Orange (P-Body) End Log_

P-Body sighed a mechanical sigh and rested her chin on her hand. It had been a while since she had done her own personal log and it gave her time to process the situation. Most of the time, when not helping with chores or fixing something, P-Body found herself tending to the children and their various needs. While she wanted to think of herself as more than a mechanical nanny, P-Body couldn't shake the feeling away. Life around the house was ordinary. She liked that.

Today, P-Body sat on the couch and watched Chelly play with her new activity book. It was one among many other presents some relatives recently sent for some weird holiday involving a tree and Wheatley shouting obscene words while putting lights on the house. Chelly, for the most part, seemed happy taking stickers out of the activity book and placing them on Rover (the turret dog). Rover often stayed near Chelly, keeping a constant vigil over her.

"Rover sticky!" Chelly giggled happily. She then placed a sticker of an overly happy cartoon cat under Rover's eye. Chelly look up at P-Body, who wasn't paying attention to her. P-Body had been going over her recent journal entries in her head (literally) and wasn't paying attention to her charge. Chelly took a sticker of a heart and climbed on the couch. She then placed it on P-Body's cheek. "Aunnie Pee-Bee smile!" she shouted. P-Body did smile and patted Chelly on the head.

The rumble of thunderous footsteps shook P-Body and Chelly (and to a lesser extent, Rover) in their place. The entire family had come downstairs at once, talking over each other about various things. Lil and Wheatley were discussing a possible expansion to the second bookstore while Dr. Rattmann was arguing schematics with GLaDOS. Dr. Rattmann was spending a lot of time with GLaDOS lately and it was making the Androids suspicious. ATLAS followed the crowd with Angie under foot.

"Will she be alright to look after Chelly by herself?" Lil asked Dr. Rattmann.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Besides, we'll be downstairs if she needs us." Dr. Rattmann responded. GLaDOS and ATLAS followed Dr. Rattmann without saying a word. P-Body seemed to be out of the loop, as she had no idea what was going on. Everyone quickly said their good-byes and went in their respective directions. The sounds of doors closing in each direction echoed throughout the house. P-Body sighed and looked at Chelly.

With a big smile, Chelly happily went back to her sticker book. This wasn't the first time P-Body had been charged with watching the children by herself. In her mechanical mind, she was starting to think everyone just saw her as some kind of mechanical nanny. Her programing was telling her to be flattered, but she felt used.

Boredom was something P-Body was used to. Of all the things GLaDOS downloaded into the Androids, P-Body believed she got the biggest kick out of programing them to feel boredom. P-Body wished she hadn't then the hours passing by wouldn't have been so grueling. Chelly seemed to enjoy passing the time with her sticker book while the cartoons on the television kept the living room from getting too quiet.

"Aunnie Pee-Bee…" Chelly cooed after sticking another sticker on Rover. "Aunnie Pee-Bee, I wan juice." Chelly cooed. P-Body glared at Chelly. Chelly thought for a second. "Peas?" she cooed again. P-Body nodded happily and started for the kitchen. P-Body walked toward the refrigerator and opened it slowly.

The mechanics of this cold box fascinated P-Body. The apartment had one when the Androids lived there with the humans three years ago. Lil had gotten up in the middle of the night to P-Body taking the motor out of it. P-Body remembered Lil yelling loud enough to wake up the other occupants of the apartment. If given the chance, P-Body would appreciate taking a working refrigerator apart and putting back together again. P-Body liked to tinker with things and though it sometimes got her in trouble with Lil, P-Body let nothing stop her when she was on a personal project.

P-Body's internal temperature dropped slowly as she reached into the refrigerator and started going back up when she retracted her hand. The bottle labeled "Apple Juice" seemed to be empty. Closing the refrigerator door, P-Body shook the bottle softly and then looked at Chelly. P-Body placed it on the kitchen table and went to look for more. The refrigerator yielded no more juice. Chelly looked at P-Body with hopeful eyes. "Aunnie Pee-Bee! Juicy!" she cooed softly.

Not wanting to disappoint the child, P-Body started searching the cabinets. Those also yielded no juice. P-Body tried to think. She placed Chelly in her high chair and went about looking for something else to drink. P-Body knew Lil didn't like giving Chelly soda (especially that early in the morning), but P-Body felt this once would be fine. P-Body opened a can of soda and gave it to Chelly. Chelly shook her head and slid the soda can away.

P-Body proceeded to take out the milk jug and a sippy cup. She poured the milk in and screwed the cap on. She gave it to Chelly, who refused it as well. P-Body sighed a mechanical sigh and reached for another sippy cup. She filled it with water from the tap and gave it to Chelly. Chelly shook her head and leaned away. After many attempts to get Chelly to drink something (the table was now covered with full sippy cups, open soda cans, and even a mug of coffee), P-Body gave up. Chelly had to drink something or Lil would yell at P-Body again.

With a defeated look, P-Body knew her only option was to get more juice. But where would she get juice? She could make her own, but P-Body had taken the juicer apart for GLaDOS's project (Lil wasn't too happy about that). Her only option now was to buy more. What was that place Lil took her and ATLAS that one time when they needed consumables? P-Body thought hard and eventually it came to her. The grocery store had an entire aisle dedicated to juice and soda. P-Body had to get one of the humans to get juice. That seemed easy enough. She knocked on the basement door, hoping Dr. Rattmann would answer. GLaDOS answered instead.

"Didn't the Older One charge you with staying with the Tiny One?" GLaDOS asked. P-Body nodded and asked GLaDOS (in her mechanical chirping) to have Dr. Rattmann go buy juice. "We are on the verge of a breakthrough and you want one of us to drop everything to get juice? That's pretty selfish don't you think, Orange? What do you need juice for, anyway? You have no need to consume juice." P-Body explained and GLaDOS pretended to be interested. "Ahh, it's for the Tiny One? Well, she will just have to wait until we are done or her parents come home. She should probably start learning soon that the world is a cruel, horrible place where not everyone gets their way. Her moron father should start doing that soon. Better yet, let's start now. We're not stopping just to get juice. She'll have to deal with it."

With that, GLaDOS slammed the basement door. P-Body noted that GLaDOS usually went out of her way to please her "Granddaughters" (except Lil, whom she liked teasing) so whatever breakthrough they had with this device must have been really important. Seeing Chelly stare at the empty juice bottle made P-Body's hardware twinge. She decided she'd have to get the juice herself. A mission out of the house alone was something P-Body had never anticipated. But it had to be done.

For this mission, everyone had to be prepared. P-Body marched towards the front closet and pulled out a diaper bag, some cold weather gear, and a snuggly. P-Body zipped the orange jacket up (she had no need to wear a jacket, but Lil often told her if people saw her roaming around in cold weather in her sleeveless jumper dress, they might be suspicious) and zipped up the pink jacket on Chelly. After gearing Chelly up with other cold weather gear (the scarf was too long, the mittens were mismatched, and the hat was too big), P-Body packed the diaper bag with extra clothes and other needful things. The diaper bag had replaced her backpack as of late and P-Body kept some tools in the side pocket as well.

P-Body put the snuggly on like a backpack and made a whistle-like chirping noise. Chelly scampered up to P-Body, despite being overloaded with heavy cold weather gear, and climbed up her back into the snuggly. P-Body remembered that humans exchanged goods and services with green paper currency, but she didn't seem to have any of her own. Remembering something important from a previous expedition around the house, P-Body ran upstairs to the master bedroom and slowly opened the door. Wheatley, for whatever reason, always kept extra money on the dresser. P-Body made sure the master bedroom had no booby traps or covert security bots and tip-toed to the dresser. She reasoned this wasn't stealing as Chelly needed juice and she was going to put the rest back later.

On the dresser sat a small stack of green paper. P-Body grabbed the entire stack and analyzed it. The stack yielded almost one hundred dollars, which was more than enough for juice. _"He really is a moron if he keeps this much money lying around."_ P-Body chirped while shaking her head. She put the money in her coat pocket and started back downstairs. She was now ready to go get juice.

Chelly giggled softly and grabbed P-Body's pigtails as if they were reigns on a horse. "Giddy-up, Aunnie Pee-Bee!" she shouted, tugging on P-Body's pigtails. P-Body moaned in discomfort. As they reached the front door, a soft whine caught P-Body's attention. P-Body was told to keep an eye on Rover as well. She couldn't leave him alone. P-Body thought for a moment and went back to the closet.

Rover happily trotted down the street after being fashioned with Chelly's toddler harness. P-Body found it amusing that humans sometimes put their children on leashes like their pets. It seemed to snap around his cylindrical body almost perfectly and Rover seemed to enjoy the walk. The shopping district was a few blocks from their neighborhood, but since P-Body couldn't get tired the walk took less time. Because their house was situated on a hill, the Pendleton Family could see the shopping district from their front porch. Lil often found it comforting when she was feeling homesick for the old apartment.

Trotting happily to the music of the city, Rover led P-Body and Chelly down the streets of the shopping district. P-Body didn't know what everyone was staring at as they walked down the sidewalk. She didn't see anything strange about being an orange haired girl with a toddler on her back walking a cylindrical machine dog to get some juice. Rover stopped every so often to "sniff" (he had no nose, so he just made sniffing noises) other dogs. P-Body had to tug him away from a growing match with a Doberman.

The shopping district held many possibilities. P-Body had only been to this place a few times since returning to live with the humans. There was one store that P-Body liked to stop at each time she came to the shopping district. She knew she wouldn't have time to actually go in, but this shop made P-Body happy. It was a dress store right next to a computer shop (that also made her happy). P-Body's wardrobe was pretty limited. For starters, her dress (an orange sleeveless jumper with the Aperture Science logo on the chest) was attached to her, so she couldn't take it off. As a result, she usually wore some of Lil's old skirts and dresses over her own when she left the house. Lil's clothes were too big for P-Body, but beggars couldn't be choosers in this situation.

Chirping longingly at the dress in the window, P-Body sighed a mechanical sigh knowing she didn't have enough for both the dress and the juice. Some of the stores in the shopping district were pretty pricey, but Lil often said she'd prefer to pay for quality, as long as the price wasn't too outrageous. One didn't have to worry about that in the shopping district. It still made P-Body sad (an artificial sadness) that she had money for once but the lovely and reasonably priced dress was still out of her price range.

GLaDOS often teased P-Body when she found her reading fashion magazines. It was one of the things P-Body kept to herself. P-Body decided not to press the issue and decided to worry about this small issue at another time when she didn't have a squirming toddler on her back and a rambunctious turret pulling at his leash. She left the dress shop window and kept a constant vigil for the juice in question.

P-Body stopped for a moment to read a sign on the window of a small convenience store. It had a picture of the brand of juice Chelly needed with an advert stating it was on sale. Happy that she didn't have to trot both Chelly and Rover all the way to the grocery store, P-Body started to go in. The black mat in the front of the store made the doors open. P-Body had seen this before and found them amusing. She jumped up and down on this mat, making the door open and close. Chelly clapped her hands happily.

P-Body was about to walk in when a sign stopped her. It had a picture of a dog with a circle and a slash through it. She had seen this picture many times before while out on errands with the humans. From what she understood, it meant that pets (namely dogs) were not allowed in the store. P-Body thought for a moment. Rover would run off if she let go of the leash for too long. Nearby, P-Body observed a teenager unhooking his bike from a bike rake and riding away. P-Body got an idea and tied the leash to the bike rake.

In her robot language, she told Rover to stay. Rover nodded his body and stayed stationary as P-Body walked into the convenience store. P-Body saw the juice in question in an open freezer next to a sign indicating that this particular brand was on sale for half off. P-Body did the math in her head and smiled. This meant not only would she get the juice she needed, but she wouldn't be spending as much money, which also meant she could put Wheatley's money back and he probably wouldn't notice any was taken. P-Body took one juice container from the freezer and walked up to the counter.

Outside, Rover started getting antsy. He didn't like being tied up when there was a world of exciting things going on around him. One of those exciting things was eating in a nearby tree. Rover had dealt with squirrels before. The backyard had tons of them. City squirrels were different than country squirrels in that they didn't seem to sleep in the winter. Food was literally everywhere. Rover saw one of these squirrels come down to pick up a piece of bread that had been dropped.

Rover growled and ran at the squirrel, only to be stopped by the leash. Rover tugged and tugged, until finally the harness gave and unsnapped. From inside the store, P-Body heard an odd sound and looked out the window. "Rover!" Chelly shouted happily. P-Body panicked and tossed the juice at the clerk at the counter before running out of the store in a fit of panic.

Shouting loudly in her robot language, P-Body ran after Rover. She shouted for him to stop before there was an accident, but couldn't keep him from running into the street. Not thinking of the danger she could put herself and Chelly in, P-Body ran into the street (luckily the light was red) and grabbed Rover before anyone could intervene. P-Body scolded Rover in her mechanical chirping as she fumbled with the harness again.

The squirrel from earlier had then returned, chattering at Rover. Rover growled and started running for it. P-Body, not wanting to draw more attention to herself, grabbed Rover by one of his back legs and dragged him back toward her. P-Body cooed softly and looked around. Luckily, it was still morning and not many people were out. But her internal clock told her it was almost lunch time, which meant the other humans in the city would be leaving their places of work for lunch.

P-Body then remembered that the humans would be home for lunch today. She had to get this juice and get home before they realized she and Chelly were gone. P-Body fastened the harness back on Rover and tied him back to the bike rack. She sternly told Rover to stay put (or else!) and walked back into the convenience store.

"Sorry, Ma'am…" said the clerk as P-Body walked back in. "I didn't think you were coming back, so I gave your juice to another customer. We're sold out of that particular juice because of the sale, but we have other brands if you want one of those."

Not trying to look defeated, P-Body walked back to the juice freezer and picked up another brand. "No!" shouted Chelly. P-Body, in her language, reasoned that it was the same thing. "Not my juicy!" Chelly shouted, grabbing P-Body's pigtails and yanking them hard. P-Body put the juice back and Chelly immediately stopped. P-Body definitely didn't want that to continue throughout the day. She deduced that Chelly was so used to this particular brand that she won't drink anything else.

"If it's that particular brand you're looking for…" the cashier shouted. "…then you might want to look somewhere else. I must warn you, though: that particular brand is on sale throughout the city, so you might have to search for a while."

Nodding her thank you, P-Body left the convenience store and untied Rover from the bike rack. Again on their journey for juice, P-Body kept an eye out for another convenience store. The city held many possibilities, but she just wanted to get the juice and go home, before Rover found another squirrel.

Further into the city, P-Body noticed how busy it was getting. She couldn't help but notice all the eyes on her now. While she saw nothing strange about this situation, she wasn't sure about everyone else. How many orange-haired women with toddlers on their backs and cylindrical dogs were there in the world? P-Body knew the answer, but kept it to herself as she hurried through the streets.

The shopping district was a big pretty big place. P-Body found a leaflet on the ground advertising the brand of juice she was looking for and read it. The leaflet advertised the juice at fifty percent off because the brand was discontinuing that particular flavor. P-Body wondered how someone could just "stop making a flavor" and went back to reading the leaflet. P-Body held the leaflet in front of Rover and chirped at him in her mechanical language.

Rover, though having a dog's personality, was still a robot and he focused his one eye on the advertisement. P-Body, needing to keep her sensors free in case of emergency, instructed Rover to look for anything matching the description on the advert. Hoping to all science this would work, P-Body let Rover lead the way. She yelped loudly when Rover made a mad dash down the street, with her at his mercy holding on to the end of the leash.

Shouting in her mechanical language to slow down, P-Body kept the fast pace as best she could. Chelly cheered happily from her spot on P-Body's back, as she saw dodging moving people and trees as a game that only she was enjoying. After almost running into three trees, knocking over the tables of an outdoor café, and trampling over a skateboarder, P-Body was relieved that they finally came to a sudden stop. But it wasn't at another store.

Rover stopped to make sniffing sounds at a fire hydrant. Shouting in her mechanical chirping that he lacked the ability to even smell or use the bathroom like a normal dog would, P-Body growled and leaned against a shop window. She shook her head and looked up at a scene across the street. The sign outside said the store sold that particular brand of juice and that supplies were limited. P-Body picked up Rover and shoved him into the diaper bag as she walked across the street (in her head, reciting the "look both ways song" Angie taught her).

With the dog turret peeking out slightly, P-Body walked into the store and looked around. Some of the food was labeled as "Organic", which was the type of food Lil liked to buy. P-Body knew full well that there was barely any significant difference between organic and regular vegetables. She chuckled softly at some of the funny looking food and walked toward the juice aisle. Her eyes lit up (literally) when she saw that there was one container of juice left.

"Juice! Juice!" Chelly shouted as she wiggled around in her snuggly. P-Body reached for the juice and grabbed it just as another customer did.

This lady was a big lady; much bigger than P-Body in height and width. P-Body would have scanned for her measurements, but she remembered being told by Lil that it was rude when she did that to her. "I saw it first!" the lady shouted, tugging it toward her. P-Body growled and tugged her towards herself. "You don't need it, you're skinny enough!" the customer shouted, pulling the juice away. P-Body wouldn't let go of the juice, but didn't want to show off her strength in public. The mean lady seemed to be making her argument pretty solid and kept trying P-Body's patience.

Hearing Chelly get upset and Rover growling from inside the diaper bag, P-Body decided to end the argument by pulling so hard on the juice, that the lady fell forward and into a display of chips. With a satisfied huff, P-Body marched up to the counter and paid for the juice.

"Aunnie Pee-Bee strong, like Unckie Attie!" Chelly shouted as the shop door dinged when they left. P-Body smiled smugly and started to leave the area. Her mission was over. She could go home and there would be no more incident involving juice, or squirrels, or mean fat ladies. P-Body cooed happily and started towards home.

"Aunnie Pee-Bee…" Chelly whined from her snuggly on P-Body's back. "…potty…" P-Body's eyed widened. Her mechanical mind had processed and anticipated every situation except this one. P-Body was more prepared for an impromptu alien invasion and ninja attack (in one scenario, both at the same time) than she was for Chelly's potty needs. In retrospect, P-Body believed she should have anticipated this. Chelly was still at an age where she needed help using the bathroom and accidents were inevitable.

P-Body started to panic. She couldn't go back to that store, what with that mean fat lady roaming around. If one woman would do that much damage just for juice, P-Body could only imagine what someone else would for it. No, she needed to find somewhere she could help Chelly relieve this need before things got wet. P-Body then remembered that there was a park in the shopping district, and it was on the way home. If anything, there could be a public restroom there.

When they finally made it to the park, P-Body ran down the sidewalk, searching frantically as Chelly started to wiggle uncomfortably. From what P-Body remembered of the park, she knew there was at least one public bathroom near the river area. Running as fast as she could, P-Body ran toward the lake area and searched frantically. When she found the bathroom, P-Body cheered and ran towards it. But then she realized she had another problem. How was she going to help Chelly with all her things weighing her down?

Tying Rover to the trash can, she instructed him to guard the diaper bag and their purchase as she guided Chelly into the bathroom. After the struggle to get Chelly out of her coat and helping her sit down, Chelly finally did her business with no more fuss. Feeling proud of her accomplishment, P-Body helped Chelly through the other potty procedures and they eventually left the restroom triumphant. This triumphant feeling didn't last long. When they came out of the restroom, they found the diaper bag still there but Rover and the juice gone.

She found Rover digging with his little pointy legs in the cold dirt nearby. P-Body grabbed him and glared at him, pointing to the spot where he was supposed to be guarding the juice. Rover only yipped happily and started making running motions while P-Body held him up.

P-Body shoved Rover back in the diaper bag after putting Chelly back in the snuggly. Now, they had to find more juice. P-Body looked at her internal clock and noted the time. It was almost time for the humans to come home and her boss would soon allow Dr. Rattmann to take his lunch and medication break. She had to be fast. P-Body ran from the park and down the streets of the shopping district. She ran down the streets and into each convenience store she passed. Each one was out of juice.

Now the situation was getting dire. P-Body ducked into an alleyway when she saw the big lady from before marching down the road. P-Body knew this lady was looking for her. She had to be quick. When the big lady was out of sight, P-Body ran down the street once again. Every food store was either out of the juice or didn't carry it to begin with. P-Body was starting to exhaust her systems looking for this one brand of juice. She took out the leaflet again and sighed while reading it.

Something about the leaflet caught her eye. In the picture of the container, it said "Fresh Squeezed" on the label. Maybe it wasn't the brand that Chelly liked, but the taste. Angie once told P-Body that sometimes different brands have different tastes, depending on how they are made. If the label didn't say "Fresh Squeezed" or something to that effect, then it was more than likely processed in a factory somewhere and probably had a very bad taste.

By that reasoning, P-Body deduced that Chelly preferred fresh squeezed juice to the processed stuff. P-Body came up with an idea and smiled wickedly. Chelly, who had her attention elsewhere, probably wouldn't know the difference either way. Making sure the big lady was nowhere around, P-Body walked to one of the specialty shops and picked up a brand new automatic juicer. She then stopped by a food shop and picked up a bag of mixed fruits.

**_At Home_**

The front door creaked open, with an exhausted P-Body trudging in. After letting Rover out of the diaper bag and taking Chelly out of the snuggly, P-Body got to work making the juice. P-Body's system warnings were telling her to rest soon, but she ignored them.

P-Body plugged the new juicer in and began to make juice from the fruits. The juicer made the most horrid sound, but to P-Body, it was the sound of victory. One of the few moments P-Body wished she had a sense of taste, or a need to eat and drink. It took more fruit than P-Body had anticipated, but she soon made enough juice for Chelly to enjoy her lunch with. Chelly's lunch consisted of a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, sliced diagonal (sliced any other way, and she refused to eat it).

P-Body watched as Chelly downed the juice with a satisfied smile. "Aunnie Pee-Bee makes good juice!" she shouted in her toddler speak. P-Body cooed tiredly and was about to rest her head on the table when she heard the basement door open. "Gamma!" Chelly shouted.

GLaDOS smiled wickedly at P-Body. "I saw everything…" she whispered, while tapping her temple. "I won't tell the humans, but I must say, Orange; you sure know how to get yourself into trouble. Good work. I guess you can handle yourself if need be. I wouldn't recommend doing that again, though." GLaDOS made her way out of the kitchen and toward the stairs as the front door opened. "Good afternoon, Moron. You'll be happy to know the Tiny One is still alive."

Cocking an eyebrow, Wheatley made his way into the kitchen. "Daddy!" Chelly shouted, reaching for Wheatley.

"'Ello, love! Did you have a good day with Auntie P-Body?" Wheatley cooed, picking up Chelly. Chelly nodded and Wheatley put her back down. "Ahh, I see you're taking a break. Don't blame you, love. Chelly can be quite a handful. She's bigger than a handful, but you get my meaning." Wheatley patted P-Body on the back and walked over to the counter. "Well, I'm home now, so if you want to go take a nap, or whatever it is you do when you rest, go ahead. I can't imagine you actually sleep, but you go do…whatever it is you do to relax."

P-Body nodded appreciatively and started to get up. "Oh, you won't believe the day Daddy had, Chelly." Wheatley said, talking to Chelly. He picked up one half of Chelly's sandwich and started eating. "Lil got tied up at the bookstore. Apparently some crazy lady came in there yelling about cookbooks for juice. Mummy told her we didn't have any cookbooks for juice at the moment and offered to order some, from the guy she orders books from. Phil, I think his name is. This mad lady just went nuts and started shouting at us. Something about the last juice being bought and not having enough money to buy a juicer at that fancy kitchen appliance store down the block from the bookstore. It was complete madness! We had to call the cops to get that lady out."

Chelly bit into her slice and smiled at her father. "Well, Mummy will be home shortly, after the police finish taking her statement. Craziest thing, though." P-Body felt the need to stop in her tracks and turn around to listen to Wheatley. "I was walking through the park about an hour ago and I found this." Wheatley reached into the grocery bag he brought in and placed its contents on the table. P-Body's right eye started twitching violently. She slowly made her way to the kitchen table.

There, on the table, sat the juice in question. "I bet that crazy lady left this juice in the park and then went on her rampage through the city, no unlike that 'Godzilla' monster in that old movie we watched the other night." Wheatley chuckled and crossed his arms. "My, what a day. This is extremely lucky seeing as I had forgotten to get more juice yesterday. I knew Lil would get mad, since that flavor is being discontinued and it was sold out all over this bloody city. How does one stop making a flavor anyway, you know? But this certainly turned things around."

Wheatley leaned back as P-Body stood next to the table, trying to control her anger. "But that's enough about my day. I imagine your day was quite dull, though. I mean, how much trouble can a toddler and a dog turret really be?" Wheatley laughed as P-Body approached. The juice sat there, in the middle of the table and mocked her.

Wheatley stopped laughing when P-Body shrieked loudly and smashed the juice container with her fist.

* * *

**N'cha, everyone!**

**I officially declare my hiatus over!**

**I know it's been a few months since I've updated anything, and I wish to apologize for that. I've had a few issues going on that needed my attention and all of my projects have taken a back seat because of it. If you've read my profile, the reasons are listed there. I know I said a week and it's been… *looks at watch* three months, but I promise this won't happen again.**

**Luna Peachie loves you all and wouldn't just leave you hanging like that. Not on purpose, anyway lol.**

**So, what did you guys think? Was it worth the wait? I hope so, I know a lot of you guys are getting pretty impatient, and as a thank you, I want to let you guys know a little secret: The next chapter is going to start a series of events that's going to lead the very last chapter of this story. **

**So, how did I do? Was it worth the wait? I hope so. Let me know how I did in the review thingy and don't forget to add me to your watch over at deviantArt. That's where I post my updates and odd little musings. The name is LunaPeachieWasHere. **

**And now, with this chapter, I officially declare my hiatus over. *fanfare and streamers***

**Read, review, and be merry! Oh, and don't forget to take a break every now and then.**

**GLaDOS, Wheatley, Dr. Rattmann, ATLAS, and P-Body belong to Valve.**


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